Alliance of the Six Birthmarks
by Johnny Raptor
Summary: It is said that when all six servants of the Crimson Dragon are gathered, a miracle is born. With the upcoming battle between the Signers and the Fallen Angels of the Stars, will there be time to perform such a miracle? Rated T-ish, AkixYusei
1. Birth of a New Constellation

"Alright, looks like it's time to go…" Yusei looked at his friends. Arianna rode with Crow, whilst Rose rode with Yusei, holding on as best as she could.

"I'm ready!" Johnny grinned, revving the engines of what appeared to be a new D-Wheel, constructed for the purpose of Johnny's use. Due to a lack of available resources, it looked almost worthless, but because of Yusei's experience as a mechanic, it was a well-working machine indeed! It was colored red - because Johnny chose the color design and worked on it himself - with several flame-like designs along the sides of the machine. At the tip appeared to be a pair of wings could be shown like a tattoo, in homage to Johnny's Birthmark.

"Let's get rolling already, Yusei!" Crow whooped, laughing a bit as he revved his Black Bird's engines.

Yusei smiled and nodded his head as their D-Wheels all launched off, driving to their next destination; back to Neo Domino City. He had a strange feeling that the fifth Signer would lie waiting there. _Maybe the Crimson Dragon is telling me that the last one is waiting for us in Neo Domino City…?_ He looked at his right arm, seeing it flare to life. _Crimson Dragon… you tell me these things, but I can't understand them completely. Am I wrong to think you placed the last Signer in Neo Domino City…?

* * *

_

"Heh, yo!" Regis called out in a room of pure darkness. As suddenly as his voice echoed, small sparks of light suddenly flared, looking like clusters of stars in the night sky! "You're always doing that…" he muttered as he took a step forward, and witnessed a single orb flying to a different part of the room, its light slowly dying out. The darkness of the room suddenly transcended into a different color, looking a slight purple.

"You have returned… Cepheus…" a voice rang out suddenly, and Regis turned to look at where it came from. He saw a throne and grinned.

"Yeah, I'm back…" he bowed, and kneeled down, resting on one knee as he looked at the throne. "I've returned after I sent Jack Atlas to the darkness…" he explained, grinning confidently.

"Good…" the voice said as the shadowy figure slowly began to stand up, revealing a small portion of their face. It appeared to be male with navy blue eyes and long, ragged hair falling down his shoulder. "You've done me well, Cepheus…" he chuckled as he crossed his arms, his eye lazily looking over to a cluster of stars that took on a shape, almost like that of "V"-like shape.

"What's up? You're looking at that Constellation… Wait… could it be…?" Regis had a look of surprise, almost as if he knew what was happening.

"Yes… It appears as if she's ready…" the apparent leader answered as he took a step forth, almost carefully trying to not reveal any other features that belonged to him. He placed a hand forward, revealing a human-like hand with several battle-scars all over it. "_Come forth, daughter of the King… Your time is now, demolish all enemies who stand before your creator!_" he clenched his hand into a tight fist. The "V"-like constellation suddenly flared to life, and the orbs of light suddenly shone multiple different colors. "Descend before us, awaken in this period of time: the beauty of the stars, Andromeda!" he commanded as the constellation's orbs suddenly ascended into the air, aligning themselves into a straight line. Black feathers suddenly came from the throne, surrounding the six orbs with four ring-like formations of the feathers. Suddenly, the room became dark, and the sound of ripping could be heard.

"Heh, looks like we've got another in our numbers…" Regis couldn't help but to chuckle to himself as the room flared back to life, and the constellation was no longer there, along with the feathers and orbs.

"Now, she'll simply find the host that matches her waves, and she'll simply take them over" the leader answered, looking at Regis again. "Cepheus, I need you to find Corvus… tell him it's his time now. He must not fail me! The darkness is begging… it wants more! Bring the darkness another treat!" he said immediately, commanding with the voice of a mighty ruler.

"Heh, sure, why not. I needed to see some more action anyway…" Regis stood back onto his two feet, and bowed. "I'll be sure to tell him what you said… Iblis" he grinned as he vanished into a dark light.

* * *

Their wheels screeched as they were riding down the highway leading closer and closer to Neo Domino City. Crow looked at Yusei with a grin, as they were approaching the city now. The two of them exchanged glances, remembering that they used to live with Zora before the WRGP ever began, and they had quite the fun time; Jack was always off, buying 3,000 Yen Blue-Eyes Mountain, his favorite coffee, Crow was working as Black Bird Delivery, delivering mail to all of his customers.

Crow was the one who would get the money necessary to continue funding Yusei's project to make their D-Wheels faster. It was all thanks to Bruno and Yusei that their D-Wheels were so fast, but that was such a long time ago. Remembering Jack hurt them on the inside, but it was inevitable to think back on memory lane, despite their current situation.

"Pay attention to the road, or get us killed" Rose killed the moment with her cold commentary.

Crow glared at Rose, and then muttered "Why'd she have to come along anyway… it's not like she welcomed _us_ in the first place…" As he was riding, he continued grumbling several other things about Rose.

"Appreciate the fact that she ain't killing us" Johnny chimed in with a grin. The entire group laughed it off, except for Rose, who remained to look calm and quiet as she usually did. She simply glared at Johnny for the joke he pulled, only giving him a death glare before looking away once more. _What is it that she's thinking? I mean, really…_ He couldn't help but to feel somewhat conscious of it.

* * *

_Sometime Later…

* * *

_

Their D-Wheels screeched as they calm to a halt, stopping in front of a large, almost fear-instilling building. This was the Public Security Bureau's headquarters, a place most people were scared of, but now it was a place where people could feel safe if they ever felt full of fear.

"So, what're we here for?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow as his D-Wheel silently turned off.

"We're here to see Director Yaegar, he might be able to tell us if anything seems… _different_…" Yusei explained, crossing his arms as that sentence finished coming out of his mouth.

"Different?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, because a Signer is normally awakened by extreme conditions, so a Riding Duel is commonly known for pushing someone to their extreme limits. Once that's been accomplished, their Signer Mark appears, and glows" Yusei explained, all of this coming off his personal experiences, as well as what Rex Godwin had explained to him back when the Dark Signers were a threat to the peace of New Domino City.

"I see… so when you were Dueling me for Meteo-Rage Dragon, were you actually trying to push me to my extreme?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, you weren't intentional. You were one of those anomalies that I never calculated for" Yusei answered smiling at Johnny. "However, I'm actually glad you were a Signer, I'm sure Crow was going to miss your company."

"Hey, I would've done fairly well without him!" Crow argued, raising a fist as he laughed with Yusei. The two were truly a sight to behold, a bond that was born of their hardship of living in the Satellite.

Rose didn't speak, all she did was watch them all laugh. She then looked at Johnny with a glare, but he didn't notice the somewhat hateful look she was giving him. _What's the matter with this idiot? __I acknowledge his strength and all, but… He's still such a weakling! How did I lose to someone like that? Could fate be smiling down on him?_

Johnny looked at Rose, and then raised the peace sign with a grin. "Hey, you should contribute your part to this conversation" he wound up saying to her, dodging the death glare that she was giving him and all.

"And why should I converse with you people about things that don't concern me the least bit?" Rose responded, crossing her arms as she gave Johnny that same glare that she gave to those she'd killed previously.

"It's 'cause we're all friends here, you should really contribute" Johnny answered her, still grinning. "Remember, if you feel like you've got no one else to go to, you've got us! We'll always be there for ya…" he spoke in the lightest tone just now, as if it were meant for only Rose to hear.

"Wait, so we're here to see police?" Arianna questioned. She never had much luck with police, since they always pulled her over for nothing, but they themselves didn't know that she didn't do anything wrong.

"Just the Director, after that, we can head off to the Satellite" Yusei answered with a smile.

"Yusei, wouldn't it be easier if we split up right now?" Crow asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How so?" Yusei asked, a little surprised that Crow had asked that.

"Yeah, you guys can search here in New Domino City while Johnny and I search in the Satellite?" Crow asked, grinning.

"Hm… That makes a little bit of sense, it'd let us cover more ground in less amount of time" Arianna pointed out.

"Crow, you sure you really wanna drag me to the Satellite? I don't even _know_ what goes on in there…" Johnny sweat dropped. He suddenly tried to imagine what the Satellite looked like; it looked like some kind of paradise to him, somewhere where _everyone_ wanted to go, but then he suddenly remembered Crow.

He remembered that Crow was originally born in the Satellite, and he looked like a total ruffian today. The image of a perfect paradise immediately fled on it's own, and was replaced with what looked like the aftermath of a garbage dump being shut down. "Aw man, you're taking me somewhere crappy, aren't you?" he complained.

"Hey, the Satellite ain't crappy!" Crow responded to Johnny with complete offense. Of course he wouldn't find it 'crappy' because he lived there most of his life, but he made the best of it there, despite the poor living conditions in the Satellite.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Johnny immediately reacted, placing his arms in front of him as if to block a punch from Crow.

"Hehe" Crow chuckled at Johnny, grinning at the reaction he received from his good friend. "Just joshin' ya man. I dunno why you would think I'd beat your ass for that?" he asked.

"Er… 'cause it's where you were born…?" Johnny answered with an embarrassed sweat drop. He didn't even know that Crow was kidding, and now he felt completely stupid.

Yusei couldn't help but to chuckle at his friends, their back-and-forth always somewhat entertained him. "I guess if everyone agrees to split up, then we're fine" he instructed as he looked at Arianna. _She's already agreed to it, and gave good reason for us to split up…_ He looked at Rose, noticing how she didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation but more to Johnny with what appeared to be silent rage in her eyes. _I don't think letting her near him is the best idea just yet…_

"I guess I could agree with that… I mean, we're just gonna head to the Satellite and back, right?" Johnny questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we're not making any pit stops half way through, so you better empty your bladders before we go!" Crow cheerfully grinned.

"Right…" Johnny smiled with a sweat drop.

"So it's decided then, we'll temporarily split up" Yusei said as he nodded his head. "Crow… be careful" he said with a serious tone as he turned to the Public Security Bureau.

"Dude, I've got Johnny, and remember who you're talking to… You're talking to _the_ Crow-sama, nothing's gonna get me or Johnny without me putting up a fight!" Crow reassured Yusei with his classic grin and threw a fist pump towards Yusei.

"…" Yusei couldn't help but to smile. "I see" he said before walking into the Bureau, followed by Arianna and Rose.

Arianna turned around and waved at both Johnny and Crow, "I wish you two luck. May Mother Nature guide you!"

Both Crow and Johnny revved their D-Wheels and drove off, heading towards the Daedalus Bridge once more, this time with the intention to head to the Satellite. The two looked at one another, both of them grinning. Their eyes told them that they were gonna have somewhat of a fun adventure in the Satellite, and even the destination itself sounded like it would have 'adventure' written all over it.

* * *

Author's Note: Notto disu shitto agen~! (Not this shit again…)

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, yatta yatta yatta, blah blah blah, bullshat here bullshat there. Problems?


	2. Threat of Yliaster

Standing before Director Yaegar was Yusei, Rose, and Arianna, with Yusei ready to ask a few questions to the director on what is it that was going on. "Yaegar, have you noticed anything strange within the past couple of weeks while we were gone?" Yusei asked, crossing his arms.

"Hey, hey, hey, you don't just address the Director like that!" Ushio answered, crossing his arms. Sure, he was on better terms with Yusei, but he still had a firm belief in the law, one that would never change under any circumstance.

"I'm sorry" Yusei nodded his head and then looked in the direction of the Director. Yaegar never grew in size; he remained to be shorter than an elf, and still looked a lot like a clown.

"Its fine, Ushio, stand down" the Director waved his hand dismissively, and the officer then relaxed as instructed. "I apologize, but I had to increase security around here, I hope you didn't have a problem getting here and coming in" Yaegar spoke, looking at Yusei with his green eyes. He had newfound respect for Yusei ever since the WRGP, and when Yusei stopped the Ark Cradle's descent upon Neo Domino City when it was at the very last minute of doom.

"It's alright, and there weren't any problems on the way here. Why did you feel the need to increase security?"

"Do I want to be killed by Yliaster?" Yaegar grinned at his rhetorical question.

"Yliaster is still together?" Yusei questioned with his eyes wide in surprise. "But we took down the Three Emperors of Yliaster, how is it possible for them to still be banded?"

"Yusei, you seem to forget… Yliaster is an organization made _long_ before we were even born, and has worldwide control over the highest of officials" Yaegar said in an unsettling manner. "However… I don't know if Yliaster is indeed still together, I am only increasing security until further notice. For all I know, those Fallen Angels you were dealing with two years ago were sent by the god of Yliaster."

"The god of Yliaster was ZONE, wasn't it?" Yusei questioned, remembering that mechanical comma-shaped machine. He remembered when ZONE was unmasked, revealing himself to _appear_ to be an older version of Yusei. He shook his head, removing the image from his mind.

"Apparently not, didn't Placido mention Yleidus the night before the WRGP Finals?" Yaegar questioned.

"Um… before I cut in rudely…" Arianna started, both Yaegar and Yusei now had their attention on her. "Er… what's 'Yliaster'?" she questioned, hoping to not feel like the newbie in the group.

"It's understandable that you don't know" Yusei smiled. "Yliaster is a group that is bent on changing history, and will do it however they can. They were the ones that bent Rudger Godwin into creating the Zero Reverse, and then twisted the fate of the original Dark Signers" Yusei began to explain. "However, about 4 years ago, they sent three men called the Three Emperors of Yliaster, who was actually one person in reality, in order to erase Synchro Monsters using their Machine Emperors."

"E-Erase Synchro Monsters? 'Change History'? We're fighting an enemy that strong!" Arianna questioned in a state of panic.

"I don't think we're dealing with the Yliaster anymore, since we took down their highest ranks…" Yusei muttered something under his breath, showing his uncertainty with his answer.

Yaegar closed his eyes, slowly taking in a breath. He didn't know what to say, since he was the one that doubted Yliaster's disbanding. There was no way such a large group could disband anyway, according to his knowledge on Yliaster as he himself was a member previously. "Yusei Fudo… I don't doubt that prediction Sherry and ZONE gave you long ago, the one of you dying…" he finally spoke, looking at Yusei's navy blue eyes. _Could it be that him stepping into the Ark Cradle set off all these events?_

"I thought that prediction was over with after the events with the Ark Cradle…" Yusei muttered, crossing his arms as he was silently trying to figure it out.

"Wait, someone said Yusei was gonna die?" Arianna asked with surprise. She still wasn't caught up on the events, and if anything, she'd been lost since the word 'the'.

"Looks like I have a lot of explaining to do…" Yusei said, scratching the back of his head.

* * *

"Hey, Crow… feel like passing the time with a Riding Duel?" Johnny asked, grinning at Crow. He never had much practice with a Riding Duel, so he would've liked a small bit of practice with one anyway.

"Johnny, now you know that I like Duels and all, but this is actually serious. Without at least five Signers gathered together, you guys can't beat out these Fallen Angel things…" Crow spoke in a serious tone, looking at Johnny with his dark eyes. "They were strong enough to not only take out Yusei, but to also misguide Rose into fighting Yusei and you… we don't know what else they could be capable of…" he pointed out the facts, revving his engines. _Yusei… you better not die on me, you got that?_

"Er…" Johnny finally swallowed the seriousness of the situation. _So, this really is a life-and-death battle, huh? Signers vs. Fallen Angels I guess…_ he looked up ahead, wondering with magical curiosity on what the fifth Signer looked like. _Maybe it's a really cool guy with some awesome fighting skills?_ He imagined someone with a karate-like stance. _Eh…_ Johnny sweat dropped for a moment.

"Just follow me, Johnny, I'll get ya to the Satellite in no time!" Crow raised his thumb, grinning as he then revved his engines again. He sped forth like a bullet, "They don't call me Crow "The Bullet" for nothing!" he laughed.

"Uh, right behind ya!" Johnny followed behind with his D-Wheel, trying to keep together with Crow's next few moves. A left turn, then a simple right turn, and then a huge curve towards what seemed to be an incomplete bridge, approaching closer and closer to the Satellite.

"The Daedalus Bridge… ever heard of it?" Crow questioned, looking at the screen which now had Johnny's face on it.

"Whoa! How the heck are you talking to me on this?" Johnny yelled in surprise with his eyes wide in surprise.

"Wow… we didn't teach you much on how to use a D-Wheel, did we?"

"Nope."

"Yeesh." Crow shook his head, and couldn't resist laughing at Johnny's situation. "If you don't know how to use your D-Wheel… you can't handle a Riding Duel!" he poked fun at Johnny.

"Oh really? Then I'll prove it to ya through a Riding Duel!" Johnny argued back, slightly fired up.

"Now Johnny, didn't I already decline it?" Crow raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…" Johnny looked the other way.

"Fine, but looks like we're doing this Riding Duel the old-fashioned way… first one to the Satellite gets the first turn!" Crow whooped as the two accelerated towards the Satellite as fast as the wind could carry their D-Wheels.

* * *

"Yo, Corvus…" Regis grinned, raising the peace sign at another man who stood in front of him. The man had his arms crossed, and he turned around to look at Regis with his pitch-black eyes, seemingly empty with deep darkness in his eyes. The man's hair was short and stark-black, with lots of stubble on his chin.

"Hmph, Cepheus…" was all the man had to say with a deep voice. An aura appeared around him, revealing pitch-black with wings. The crowing of an avian could be heard as the aura's wings unfolded, and then vanished suddenly.

"So, who'd ya wind up possessing?" Regis raised an eyebrow.

"Some human named Corvx. His body reeked of an evil heart that matched me well. It's interesting how the crevices of a human's heart can be made through the simplest of things, even when you create the mess…" the man answered, grinning arrogantly.

"I can agree with ya, they're so easy to manipulate! Did'ja know that the guy I'm possessing has multiple crevices because he's been the underdog all his life?" Regis laughed and pointed at his host.

"Hmph, foolish creatures these humans are… No wonder Iblis wants us to bring judgment down on these humans…" Corvx answered, looking at his hand, and flexing his fingers. "This human had crevices only because he lost someone special to him. His wife died a few years ago, and then crevices formed from the despair of losing someone who he loved…" he explained, trying to hold back a snicker.

"Feh! That's a pathetic reason to be so depressed!" Regis laughed at the story that Corvx told him. "All humans die, no matter what! That's a law that cannot be denied, which is what keeps them under Iblis!" he said with his laughter as he then shook it off, looking at Corvx seriously. "Now then… jokes aside, Iblis has a job for ya."

"Oh? And what does God want from me?" Corvx looked at Regis with a black eyebrow raised. He only had to look at the grin on Regis' face, and his lips curled. He understood what Regis was going to say. "So it seems I finally get to take action…" he couldn't help but to chuckle. "Crow Hogan… you're next to fall into the darkness…" he muttered as he took a single card out of his pocket, and stared deep at it. "Blackfeather Dragon, it's time for you to take revenge upon your original master…" Corvx laughed loudly as his shrill laughter echoed all about, Regis laughing alongside him.

* * *

"Blackwing Silverwind the Ascendant, finish Johnny off!" Crow commanded as his large winged-beast roared mightily.

Blackwing Silverwind the Ascendant: 2800 Attack / 2000 Defense

Johnny: 2300 Life Points

"Tch…" Johnny muttered as the winged beast dashed at him with it's spear!

"Direct Attack! _Perfect Storm_!" Crow commanded as the black-feathered creature threw it's weapon at Johnny, and it pierced through Jack's Wheel of Fortune!

Johnny: 0 Life Points

The D-Wheel's air-intake suddenly invoked, releasing a lot of steam as Johnny's speed suddenly began to save, as well as Crow's Black Bird. "Looks like the Duel goes to ya… Gotta say, those Blackwings of yours are extremely tough!" Johnny grinned. He didn't seem upset that he lost the battle. His green eyes showed that he was perfectly satisfied, and loved his Duel with Crow.

"Crow Hogan…" a voice rang out, and both Johnny and Crow's heads turned to where the voice came from.

"It is time for me to strike you down…" the voice said, and they finally found a man on a strange D-Wheel. The D-Wheel was all black, with torn, ragged wings on the side of the D-Wheel along with several feather-shaped charms on the paintjob.

"Pft, and who the heck are you?" Crow asked.

"I am… Corvx" the man responded with a frown as his helmet's visor slid away, revealing his eyes.

"Hmph, and why the heck are you challenging me to a Riding Duel?"

"Because…" Corvx began to grin a little bit, "it is my job as one of the Fallen Angels…"

"F-Fallen Angel?" Johnny's eyes widened.

"A Fallen Angel, eh? I've been trying to get one so I can get back at you for Jack!" Crow pointed his fist at Corvx.

"So you accept to my Duel?" Corvx questioned, shooting straight to the point.

"Let's do it!"

"And so… let this Riding Duel begin, Crow Hogan!" Corvx commanded as black feathers scattered all over the place, and they all danced in midair. They all danced, and Corvx looked at Crow with a grin on his face. Confidence was all that could be taken out from his face, shrewd confidence that would be the end of him.

"Alrighty then, Corvx! Crow-sama's been lookin' for some kind of warm-up ever since the WRGP!" Crow answered with his own grin of confidence as his Black Bird's engines roared.

"Crow Hogan, you'll wish you never accepted to this duel, at all!" the two's D-Wheels roared loudly, flaring to life as the Momentum within them both stirred to life. As suddenly as their D-Wheels roared, the two sped off, leaving Johnny to stand on his own.

_Crow... you better not lose this one! We can't have another one of us missing..._ Johnny clenched his fists tightly, unsure of what to do for Crow. He stood there helplessly, hoping that Crow would win the duel, hoping with as many thoughts as he could.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, god dangit!

Author's Note: Man, I love this. I'm about, MAYBE, 7000-9000 words ahead. These chapters aren't as long as they used to be though… Oh, and this chapter is decided to my love. She made me update again, after so long. ^^


	3. Angels of a Feather

"Fine then, Corvx! Crow-sama's been lookin' for some kind of warm-up ever since the WRGP!" Crow answered with his own grin of confidence as his Black Bird's engines roared.

"Good, now… 3…" Corvx's D-Wheel's computer revealed the Dueling Screen, as well as Crow's D-Wheel. They revved their engines once more.

"2!" Crow revved his engines one more time, and Corvx's computer reported "Auto-Pilot standby". Crow's did not on purpose. _Just like in the Duels with the Dark Signers those years ago… I gotta leave Autopilot off so I can dodge those attacks he'll be throwing at me, especially since it seems that our monsters __**literally**__ come to life!_

"1!" Corvx laughed as the wings of his D-Wheel flapped suddenly, and then became solid, appearing almost like blades! "Riding Duel Acceleration!" both Corvx and Crow yelled as their D-Wheels then shot forth! The two were now locked in a battle of speed as their D-Wheels accelerated, one trying to get ahead of the other.

"Speed World 2, Activate!" Crow and Corvx commanded their Computers at the same time, and the entire world around them suddenly grew a purple shade. This was it, a Duel that involved speed and pure action. Such a Duel was always a rush, but in this case, it was a life-or-death matter!

Crow: 4000 Life Points

Corvx: 4000 Life Points

"I'll take the first move, no problems on that!" Corvx was the very first to turn the corner, and immediately proceeded to draw his first card. "Hm… very interesting!" Corvx turned around, looking at Crow with his dark-blue eyes, eyes that had an eerie emptiness to them.

_These guys… The Fallen… they seem to take the body of another person, that's a given thanks to seeing what they did to Akiza… but I wonder what happens to the human when they lose…_ Crow thought for several seconds, before shaking the thought. _Oh well, can't keep my mind on that, for now… I've gotta focus on this Duel! If it ain't to save the world, then it's to protect the Satellite Younglings!_

"Come on Crow, you've got this! You're totally gonna kick his ass around if you beat mine!" Johnny whooped, cheering on for Crow without knowledge of how powerful this man truly was. Time would only laugh at him if it were a person.

"Don't worry, Crow! You've got strength, you can fight and win this Duel!" Arianna called out.

"I'll start off by summoning the **Darklord Belial**!" Corvx commanded as a portal opened, revealing a black-winged angel who appeared to be quite a beautiful female, her face showing what almost looked like a hurt innocence. Then, her face darkened as her skin turned gray, and she cackled as her wings unfolded.

Darklord Belial: 800 Attack / 300 Defense | Level 4

"Now Darklord Belial's effect now activates! When she's Normal Summoned… I can Normal Summon yet another "Darklord" Monster during this Turn!" Corvx smirked as Belial suddenly gasped in pain. "I'll release this worthless creature from the Field!" she screamed as darkness ripped out from her body, taking on the form of two orbs. "When she's Tributed for the Summon of a Darklord Monster… she's treated as two releases!" Corvx instructed as the two orbs of darkness danced in the air.

Crow looked at the five cards in his hand, and smiled. "I don't have much to worry about, my Blackwings'll kick the crap outta whatever you're gonna Summon!" Crow boldly said.

"Oho? We'll see about that, Crow Hogan!" Corvx revved his engines and he sped forth. "_Fallen Lord, aid me in my triumphant goal!_ I'll Advance Summon **Darklord Asmodeus**!" he commanded as he slammed the card onto his D-Wheel's Monster Slot. The Holographic Projector reacted, turning from an almost rainbow-like color to a shade of pure darkness! A portal opened up, and a dark angel rose from the ground, roaring as his white garments flew all over.

Darklord Asmodeus: 3000 Attack / 2800 Defense | Level 8

"I'll activate my Darklord Asmodeus' effect! Once per turn, I can send a Fairy-Type Monster from the Deck to the graveyard!" a single card ejected from his Deck, and he revealed it.

Crow looked at the screen, noting the Monster that Corvx was ditching for Darklord Asmodeus' effect. "**Darklord Superbia**…?" Crow questioned in a low mutter. "Never heard of these things…"

"Now Crow Hogan, your defeat is all set! Turn End!" Corvx commanded.

"Humph, time for Crow-sama to show ya how to really kick off a Riding Duel!" Crow yelled with a grin on his face.

_Turn 2_

Crow: 1 Speed Counter

Corvx: 1 Speed Counter

"Looks like I'll be startin' this off strong! First, I'll Normal Summon my **Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn**!" Crow commanded as the large bird formed on the field, squawking mightily as the black feathers danced above them, spinning, looking almost mesmeric.

Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn: 2000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 5

"Next up, I'll Special Summon **Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind**!" Crow commanded as yet another bird formed on the field, this time with a green face and hypnotic-looking eyes wide open.

Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind: 1300 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Hm, two Monsters huh?" Corvx noted, grinning. His face brimmed to the fill-point with confidence. It was almost as if he could see the very ending of this Duel, and it had yet to really begin!

"Hmph, I'll activate Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can halve the attack power of an opposing Monster!" Crow pointed at Darklord Asmodeus.

"Wait… with that effect… You'll…" Corvx realized what Crow was trying to pull at this point, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Ha-ha, heck yeah! Looks like your mighty Monster is about to get a wake-up call!" Crow commanded as Gale the Whirlwind immediately took action, flying towards the tall angel bravely. The fallen angel looked at Gale, groaning as it reached out to grab it. Gale the Whirlwind hooted and flapped its wings mightily, creating a huge gust that shook Corvx off balance slightly.

Darklord Asmodeus: 1500 Attack / 1400 Defense

"Tch… foolish human, you think that you can continue win this battle?" Corvx asked, looking at Crow's Monsters.

"I'll Tune the Level 5 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn to my Level 3 Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!" Crow commanded as three rings surrounded five orbs of light.

"A Synchro Summon, huh? Hmph, God told me that you humans rely on those creatures in order to win… It seems he was correct" Corvx spoke, muttering more to himself than anyone else when he was speaking while watching the three rings and five orbs begin to shine brightly.

"_Winds of Zephyr dance around us and rip the darkness open! Soar above the wind and the darkness, and embrace them both!_ Synchro Summon!" Crow commanded as the light exploded, unleashing a burst of wind and darkness that then gathered in one spot. "Soar, **Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon**!" Crow commanded as the storm of wind and darkness ceased, revealing a large avian standing on two legs. Its face had the normal appearance of a bird, but with its beaks open, it revealed what almost seemed to be a red-skinned man hidden within the bird. It was tall, with black plumage all over it. It's wings unfolded, revealing black wings with a few streaks of red plumage. Feathers danced all over it as its talons opened, revealing how dangerously sharp they were in the glint of the sunlight. The standing avian appeared to be wearing a black robe as well, and held what looked to be like a scythe.

Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon: 2700 Attack / 2500 Defense | Level 8

"Heh, so that's your new ace since you lost Blackfeather Dragon?" Corvx questioned with a laugh.

Crow took offense to that comment, and growled. Anger filled his eyes because of what Corvx said. "Blackfeather Dragon lives on in my heart… as well as the kids'… It's soul remains in my deck, no matter what you creeps did to it!" he roared as his Synchro Monster growled as well. "Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon's effect now activates! Once per turn, I can lower the attack points of the opponent's Monster Equal to that of a "Blackwing" Tuner Monster in the graveyard! Gale the Whirlwind's the only one in my grave, so…" the black-feathered avian raised it's scythe, growling as it then swung the scythe down towards the Asmodeus! The soul of Gale the Whirlwind revealed itself, and Asmodeus cried out, as it could no longer stand from being so weakened at this point.

Darklord Asmodeus: 200 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 8

"Hmmm…" Corvx couldn't help but to grin. "Interesting, so you're still sensitive about your Blackfeather Dragon…" he noted, chuckling a little to himself.

"Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon attacks your Darklord Asmodeus! _Devil's Strike_!" Crow commanded as his avian roared to life, ascending high up into the air.

"Go on, Crow Hogan! I'd especially love to see how you look when you _think_ you're winning!" Corvx laughed as the avian quickly dive-bombed towards his Darklord Asmodeus. Asmodeus pitifully raised an arm, only for it to be violently sliced in half! The dark angel shattered into pixels, leaving behind an arm on the ground. It appeared to be bleeding, but it shattered to pixels before it could spread out.

"Heh, how do ya like them apples?" Crow laughed as Corvx's Life Point parameters took a sudden plunge.

Corvx: 1400 Life Points

"Hmph, it's at this time in which my fallen Asmodeus' effect activates! When he's destroyed by Battle, I get to Special Summon two Tokens!" Corvx commanded as two portals opened, and the arms of Asmodeus emerged forth from the portals. "First off, these two tokens are _very_ particular… First comes a **Asmo Token**!" he commanded as a Level 5, miniature version of Asmodeus formed on the Field, growing as it switched into Defense Position.

Asmo Token: 1800 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 5

"Then comes a **Deus Token**!" the arm transformed into another miniature version of Asmodeus, and it growled as it was switched to Defense Position.

Deus Token: 1200 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 3

"Two Tokens!" Crow then looked at his Diablo of the Typhoon. "I'll use his effect! Once per Duel, I can remove from play a "Blackwing" Monster in my graveyard to destroy one opponent's Monster!" he commanded as the soul of Blackwing – Sirocco the Dawn appeared, it's hands forming a light between them. The light then shot forth, aiming at one of the two miniature angels! "I'll destroy that Asmo Token!" Crow commanded as the light shot at the fallen angel like an arrow!

"Oh no!" Corvx's eyes widened as the light came closer and closer to the token. The token appeared to be brave, for it stood its ground as the light then came into contact with its armor! However…

"What the?" Crow's eyes widened as the light spear bounced off of the Deus Token, proving the effect to not work!

"Oh. I forgot to tell you… An "Asmo Token" cannot be destroyed by Effects while a "Deus" Token cannot be destroyed by battle" Corvx began to laugh at Crow. "Looks like you've wasted your one-time effect!"

"Tch… I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Crow instructed.

"Oh well, Crow Hogan… at this point… You're done! Now it's my turn!" Corvx drew his new card, and grinned at it.

_Turn 3_

Crow: 2 Speed Counters

Corvx: 2 Speed Counters

"Crow… Be prepared to take some immense Damage! I'll Release the Asmo Token and Deus Token…" he began his turn as the two tokens created a small portal. "I'll Advance Summon the **Darklord Zerato**!" he commanded as a tall, gray-skinned angel formed on the field, revealing its black wings and staring at Crow with its deep, gray-ish eyes. It wielded a sword, and it roared in command as it raised its blade, shouting commandingly.

"Darklord Zerato!" Crow responded, eyes wide in surprise at the name. _Tch, his strategy seems to be that he wants to Summon these huge Monsters on the Field and beat me down with them… Oh well, I've got enough defenses to put him down!_ "Bring it on! I'm not called Crow-sama if I can't take up a challenge like this!"

"Oh? Then I guess…" Corvx revealed a card in his hand. "I'll use my Darklord Zerato's effect! Once per turn, I can take a single DARK-Attribute Monster in my hand and ditch it into the graveyard…" the newly-formed angel of darkness roared to life, and his skin became a dark purple. The cloak he wore began to flap around unsettlingly, and dark clouds gathered above him, thundering and clapping dangerously.

"What the…?" Crow raised an eyebrow, looking up at the sky. _What is this?_

"Now, by sending that DARK-Attribute **Darklord Edeh Arae**… I can destroy all Monsters on your Field!"

"WHAT?" Crow's eyes widened in surprise as he heard that sentence out of Corvx's mouth!

"Now, my Darklord Zerato… go! _Fallen Thunder_!" Corvx commanded as his creature raised it's blade, pointing it at the sky. Purple lightning descended from the sky, surrounding the blade, and Darklord Zerato's red eyes glowed bright crimson, showing that this creature wouldn't show _any_ mercy at all. It swung its blade, unleashing a blast of thunder that made Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon squawk painfully as it shattered to pieces.

"Diablo!" Crow called out, remembering how Blackfeather Dragon was annihilated all that time ago. "Not again… not another one!" he slammed his fist onto his D-Wheel.

"Begone, Crow Hogan! I'll activate the **Speed Spell – Darkness Ascending** activate!" Corvx instructed as his Speed Counters reduced to Zero. "I'll use my two Speed Counters in order to Special Summon one DARK-Attribute Fairy-type Monster in my graveyard by removing Darklord Zerato from play!" the mighty fallen angel roared in pain as it suddenly vanished into a portal that seemed to lead to a different dimension. "Now… Be revived, my fallen legion! Reveal yourself, **Darklord Superbia**!" he commanded as a jar-shaped fairy formed on the field, the dark-colored jar roaring mightily.

Darklord Superbia: 2900 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 8

"I'll activate Darklord Superbia's effect! When he's Special Summoned from the graveyard, I can Special Summon _another_ Fairy in my graveyard! Come up, and show my enemy what _real_ fear is, **Darklord Edeh Arae**!" he instructed as yet another dark-colored, black-winged fairy formed on the field, it growling as it glowed with a dark aura.

Darklord Edeh Arae: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"What the! T-Two Monsters?" Crow's eyes widened in surprise at that very moment. His Field was cleared out, and he was facing two Monsters whose Attack Power were all high enough to take out all of his Life Points!

"I told you, Crow Hogan! You will lose this Duel, guaranteed!" Corvx chuckled a little as the Duel Monitors registered that Corvx entered his Battle Phase. "Darklord Edeh Arae, Attack Crow Hogan Directly! _Slash of the Fallen_!" he commanded as the fairy dive-bombed towards Crow, roaring.

"Trap Activate, **Blackfeathered Lift**!" Crow commanded as the Trap flipped open, revealing the image of what seemed to be a Blackwing Monster with a broken wing, and yet being supported by fellow Blackwing comrades. "First, I Special Summon a Blackwing from my hand by removing from play a Blackwing Synchro Monster in the graveyard… I'll remove **Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon** in order to Special Summon **Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow**!" he commanded as a blue-shaded bird formed on the field with a yellow-colored face.

Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow: 1000 Defense / 1400 Attack

"Now for Blackfeathered Lift's second effect! All Monsters on the opponent's side of the Field lose Attack Points equal to half the Special Summoned Monster's Attack Points!"

"What is this?" Corvx questioned as Blackwing – Kalut the Moon Shadow's eyes glowed, and his creatures all groaned in pain.

Darklord Edeh Arae: 1600 Attack / 2000 Defense

Darklord Superbia: 2200 Attack / 1800 Defense

"Tch! Since the conditions on the Field have changed, I'll have my Darklord Edeh Arae attack your puny little Blackwing! _Slash of the Fallen_!" he commanded, and his creature dive-bombed once more, this time aiming at Kalut! "When the opponent has less Defense compared to my Edeh Arae's Attack Power, he inflicts piercing damage!" Corvx instructed as the claws of Edeh Arae ripped through Kalut, leaving the talons of Crow's Monster to fall on him.

He accelerated, avoiding bits of carnage left from his Blackwing, and he closed his eyes tightly. This was something he wasn't used to, the fact that monsters were literally real in Duels against people like Corvx. "Ugh…" the putrid smell of blood and death finally left as they digitized back into little pixels.

Crow: 3400 Life Points

"Don't be relieved just yet, Crow Hogan, I have another attack for you! Darklord Superbia, Direct Attack!" Corvx ordered, and his Darklord Superbia roared, dropping what seemed to be an orb of darkness over Crow!

"That doesn't look good!" Crow immediately revved his engines, accelerating ahead of Corvx as fast as possible.

"This is inescapable, Crow Hogan!" the dark orb dropped, flying towards Crow!

"Come on, you can't tell me that you're gonna let this guy get to ya with just one attack!" Johnny said out loud, even though he'd never been in a Riding Duel where Real Damage occurred.

"I… won't be taken down!" Crow revved his engines once again, and sped forth as he revealed his face-down card. "I activate my **Black Rift**! During the turn that a Monster on my Field was destroyed by battle, and the opponent declares a Direct Attack while this is the only card on my Field… I can Special Summon a Blackwing Monster that's been removed from play!"

"A Removed from Play Blackwing you say?" Corvx knew where this was going, and it wasn't going to be pretty, not for him!

"Return to me, **Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon**!" Crow commanded as a dimensional rift opened up, and soaring out of the portal was his Blackwing monster that squawked and crowed mightily. "However, during the End Phase, he's removed from play, and I'll take damage equal to half his Attack Points…" Crow added on, looking at Diablo of the Typhoon.

"Oh well then, that's your own problem at that point…" Corvx muttered as he placed two cards in his hand facedown, leaving him handless at that point. "I'll End my Turn."

"At the End Phase…" a dimensional rift opened up, swallowing Blackwing – Diablo of the Typhoon whole. A severe hurricane shot through the field, shaking Crow's D-Wheel, but not overtaking him. He relaxed, feeling a lot of pain, but he tried not to show it to Corvx.

Crow: 1900 Life Points

_Turn 5_

Crow: 1900 Life Points | 4 Speed Counters

Corvx: 4000 Life Points | 4 Speed Counters

"Looks like I've got a comeback move comin' at'cha!" Crow laughed as he looked at the card with a grin on his face. "Time to start it up! First, I'll Normal Summon **Blackwing – Blizzard the North**!" he commanded as small, blue, pudgy-looking bird appeared on the Field, squawking as it's body glowed.

Blackwing – Blizzard of the North: 1300 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Now for the effect of Blackwing – Blizzard the North! When he's Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Blackwing in my graveyard that is Level 4 or Lower! Come on out, **Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind**!" he commanded as the green-faced feathered being appeared on the field.

Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind: 400 Defense / 1300 Attack | Level 3 | Tuner

"Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can halve the Attack Power of an opponent's Monster! I'll halve down your Darklord Superbia!" Crow commanded as the little avian growled, flapping its wings as the fallen angel groaned in pain, slowly shrinking as if magic were suddenly happening.

Darklord Superbia: 1450 Attack / 1400 Defense

"Hmph! Doesn't matter what you do, Crow Hogan, I've still got your number! My Darklord Edeh Arae is still strong enough to strike your Life into the ground!"

"Oh really now? I'll Activate **Speed Spell – Angel Baton**!" Crow commanded as the Speed Spell revealed itself. "When I have 2 or More Speed Counters… I can draw two new cards!" Crow drew the two cards, and grinned at them. "I then ditch one!" he ditched what appeared to be a Monster card. "Now, I'll activate the graveyard effect of my **Blackwing – Zephyros the Elite**!" he commanded as wind suddenly struck his field, and his Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind hooted as it vanished into the form of a card placed in Crow's hand. "Once per Duel, I can take a face-up card on my Field and send it back to my hand to Special Summon him! Be revived!" he commanded as the taller, soldier-like avian appeared on the field, grunting as flames burst from it, firing at Crow! "For doing so… I'm taking 400 Points of Damage!" Crow added on.

Crow: 1500

Blackwing – Zephyros the Elite: 1600 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"Now, because I control more Blackwings on the Field, I can Special Summon my **Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind** once more!"

"Wait… with that monster…" Corvx's grin suddenly vanished. He knew what was coming at this point… a comeback from Crow!

"Come on out, Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!" Crow commanded as the green-faced avian appeared once again, hooting mightily as it appeared in Attack Position.

Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind: 1300 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Once per turn, I can halve the attack of a Monster on your side of the Field!" he commanded as the winds struck at Edeh Arae, making it groan painfully as well!

Darklord Edeh Arae: 1150 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 5

"Tch… You weren't joking me when you said you had a comeback move…" Corvx commented, but then he looked at his facedown cards and grinned once again. He too had something prepared for Crow, all he needed to do was wait for Crow to do something stupid, just one thing.

"I'll Tune the Level 4 Blackwing – Zephyros the Elite to my Level 3 Gale the Whirlwind!" Crow commanded as three rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_Darkened gales, become the wings which will soar to heavens_! Synchro Summon, **Blackwing Armor Master**! Crow chanted as the light exploded, revealing an armored avian that grunted as black feathers danced all around it!

Blackwing Armor Master: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7

"Next up, I'll Special Summon **Blackwing – Bora the Spear** from my hand since I control Blackwings on my side of the Field!" he commanded as a spear-wielding bird appeared on the field, grinning and grunting. "Level 4 Blackwing Bora the Spear and Level 2 Blackwing – Blizzard the North, Tuning!" Crow commanded once again as two rings danced around four orbs of light!

"Double-Synchro Summon!" Corvx questioned.

"_Pitch-dark power, lodge in its great wings and stir up the divine winds!_ Synchro Summon! Gust Fiercely, **Blackwing Armed Wing**!" Crow commanded as the light exploded, revealing yet another avian that wielded what appeared to be a gun with a spear sticking out of it.

**Blackwing Armed Wing**: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 6

"Tch, two Synchro Monsters…" Corvx grinned. It seemed almost as if he couldn't hold back his laughter, but he did so as cautiously as possible. Something seemed to not be right. Perhaps he had something planned, or was he bluffing?

"It's tine to finish you off, Corvx!" Crow yelled as his Blackwing Armor Master grunted to life. "Blackwing Armor Master attacks your Darklord Superbia!" he commanded as the armored avian dive-bombed towards the jar-shaped fallen angel!

"Go, Darklord Superbia! Fight back, my dear servant!" Corvx commanded as his Darklord flew towards Blackwing Armor Master weakly, only to get immediately sliced in half by Blackwing Armor Master's iron claws!

Corvx: 450 Life Points

"Blackwing Armed Wing, attack his Darklord Edeh Arae!" Crow commanded as his creature took flight, dive-bombing as it fired several rounds into Darklord Edeh Arae's chest! The creature growled, weakly raising a fist, but then Blackwing Armed Wing slashed right through it with the spear that stuck out from its gun-like weapon!

"Trap Activate, **Fallen Curse**! During Damage Calculation, on the turn you destroyed a Darklord Monster, I can subtract 1000 Attack Points from your Monster's Attack Power, and add to my hand another Darklord with Equal Attack Points after the Damage Step is over with!" Corvx commanded.

Blackwing Armed Wing: 1300 Attack

Corvx: 300

"Now… the creature I'll Special Summon, from my Deck, will be…" Corvx revealed the card he chose. "**Darklord Belphegor **is the monster I'll choose to add to my hand…" he instructed, and hen added it to his hand.

"I'll End my turn! Looks like Crow-sama indeed pulled a comeback move!" Crow cheered, grinning confidently in his tricky ways.

_Turn 6_

Crow: 1500 Life Points | 5 Speed Counters

Corvx: 450 Life Points | 5 Speed Counters

_He can't do much this turn… even if he brings up a way to stall against me, he'll still fall to the effect of Speed World 2. Either I draw a Speed Spell, or I pierce his defenses with Blackwing Armed Wing's Piercing Damage effect…_ Crow revved his D-Wheel, speeding past Corvx, but his eyes widened at the sight he saw… Corvx was… _He's smiling?_

"Crow Hogan… you don't know what you've allowed me to do!" Corvx laughed as he drew his new card. "I activate the effect of my **Darklord Belphegor**! During this turn, I can Special Summon him if I drew a **Darklord** during my Draw Phase…" he revealed the card. "I drew **Darklord Zagan**!" he grinned as the card in his hand burst with darkness. "Now, Darklord Belphegor will be Special Summoned!" he commanded as the creature was Special Summoned, revealing itself to be a soldier-like fallen angel with long, wavy wings and dark gray skin. Its gray hairs flew all over the place as its red eyes glowed with rage. It growled and unsheathed its blade, taking flight. "As the Fallen Angel of Opening, I use your Effect! When Darklord Belphegor is Special Summoned by this Effect, I Special Summon a Darklord in my Graveyard! Reveal yourself, **Darklord Superbia**!" he commanded as the jar-like Darklord appeared on the Field once more, growling as the emptiness within itself began to glow. "Superbia's Effect gives me yet another Darklord in the graveyard! Be revived, **Darklord Edeh Arae**!" he commanded once again as the fallen angel soared out from the jar-like Fallen Angel, growling as it looked at Crow pitifully.

Darklord Superbia: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

Darklord Edeh Arae: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 5

Darklord Belphegor: 1400 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"What… the…?" Crow's eyes widened as the Field was swarmed with Dark Angels all over again! "Oh great, now I gotta take'em down again? Why?"

"Don't worry Crow, you took'em down before, you can do it again!" Johnny cheered fist pumping into the air.

"That's if I survive this turn…" Crow muttered, looking at the fact that he was handless, and indeed was without any Spell/Trap Cards to defend himself. His tricky ways would only be helpful since Blackwing Armor Master was impervious to battle, and battle damage wouldn't touch him thanks to Armor Master.

"Hmph, now, I'll Normal Summon my **Darklord Zagan**!" Corvx commanded as a dark bull appeared on the field with large wings that beat mightily.

Darklord Zagan: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Now, I'll Tune the Level 5 Darklord Edeh Arae to my Level 3 Darklord Belphegor!" Corvx commanded as three black rings surrounded five black orbs of light. "_Darkened Gales, become the wings that fly fiercely from resolve_! Synchro Summon!" Corvx chanted, and Crow's eyes shot wide open.

"You've gotta be joking me! Th-that chant…!"

"Indeed Crow Hogan!" Corvx laughed as the light exploded, revealing a dark dragon, which roared mightily. "Soar, **Blackfeather Dragon**!" he commanded as Crow's ex-Signer Dragon soared into the sky, roaring mightily.

Blackfeather Dragon: 2800 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 8

"B-Blackfeather Dragon! Y-you're still…" Crow nearly smiled, but he almost forgot about the situation he was in!

"My Darklord Zagan's effect now activates! When a Player Synchro Summons, they take damage equal to it's Level x 200!"

"Wouldn't that finish him off…?" Johnny questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Blackfeather Dragon's effect!" Crow's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Darklord Zagan spew flames from it's body. He knew where this might have been going, and his Life Points weren't going to appreciate it too much.

"Blackfeather Dragon's Monster effect, _Damage Drain_, allows me to negate Effect Damage coming to me, and Decrease his Attack Points by 700 by adding a Blackfeather Counter to him!"

Blackfeather Dragon: 2100 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 8

"Now then… I'll Correct my Darklord Zagan and my Darklord Superbia!" Corvx laughed as a portal opened, swallowing the two screaming Monsters whole. "_Fallen Angel of the Stars, awaken from the heavenly constellation which was your womb. Show them what death truly looks like!_" Corvx chanted as eight black feathers were surrounded by three rings of black feathers, which seemed to be acting on their own. The eight singular black feathers glowed, transforming into black orbs as the crowing of a mighty creature could be heard, echoing all around them.

_Tch, he's Star Summoning his Fallen Angel! I guess you can never know it's coming since it uses a regular Tuner Monster…_ Crow watched as the pattern exploded with dark light that swallowed the field whole. "It's over for you, Crow Hogan! Descend from the Heavens to the Earth, child of Iblis, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus**!" he commanded mightily as the light then suddenly flowed back into one spot, taking on the shape of what appeared to be a tall man with large wings. Slowly, the darkness faded, revealing a gray-skinned man with what appeared to be a bird-like face, revealing a twisted mutation from humanity. Its wings unfolded, revealing large, powerful-looking wings. Talons replaced the feet of the 'man', ones that appeared to belong to an eagle's, and it seemed to be the same story for its hands as well. It crowed mightily as its red eyes opened, revealing its savage nature as it then ascended into the sky, flapping its wings mightily.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus: 3300 Attack / 3500 Defense | Level 11

"I'll activate the ability of my Fallen Angel! Whenever it is successfully Star Summoned…" The Fallen Angel suddenly cawed as black feathers danced all around, scattering around and flew towards Blackwing Armor Master. "When he's Star Summoned, I can send a Synchro Monster on your Field to the graveyard! Say farewell to your Blackwing Armor Master!" Corvx laughed as Blackwing Armor Master grunted, vanishing instantly, and leaving a large gale to scatter around the two!

"A-Armor Master!" Crow's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Now for Blackfeather Dragon's Monster Effect!" Corvx grinned as the glowing feathers on Blackfeather Dragon began to slowly fade, and energy gathered. "By removing all Blackfeather Counters from him… he'll subtract points from your Monster _and_ your Life Points!" he commanded as the black energy shot at Blackwing Armed Wing.

Blackwing Armed Wing: 1600 Attack / 1000 Defense

Blackfeather Dragon: 2800 Attack / 1800 Defense

"AHHHH!" Crow yelled in immediate pain as the wind rushed faster and faster, and left several cuts all over his body!

Crow: 800 Life Points

"B-Blackfeather Dragon…" Crow said, almost trying to reach out to it.

"It's over, Crow Hogan…" Corvx said with disgust as Blackfeather Dragon screeched in horrid pain. "I activate Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus' effect. I surrender control of a Synchro Monster to you, you take damage equal to that Synchro Monster's Level times 100" Corvx crossed his arms as he tossed Blackfeather Dragon to Crow carelessly, and the dragon immediately switched sides.

"Wait… but…" Crow looked at Blackfeather Dragon, who absorbed the blast of darkness from the Fallen Angel of the Stars.

Blackfeather Dragon: 2100 Attack / 1800 Defense

"It's over, Crow Hogan. My Monster is stronger than yours, and more than capable enough to take you out, once and for all" Corvx spoke with a careless voice. He knew for a fact that he won, and nothing Crow could do would change that fact.

"Even so… I have control of my Blackfeather Dragon! Even if I lose… I still win, so long as the hope that soars above resolve is still with me!" Crow lectured, remembering an image of Yusei. "Heh… looks like we ain't ever gonna bring Team 5D's back together… I thought I could bring Jack back by finding this guy, but it seems… I was wrong…" Crow looked at where Johnny was, seeing the look of sorrow in his face. "Sorry man… Guess we can't really settle the score between us, huh?" he shook his head.

"Crow, no, you're gonna win! Don't give up!" Johnny tried to cheer, but even he himself knew that it was pointless to try fighting back now.

"Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus, I command thee to attack Blackfeather Dragon! _Nova Strike_!" Corvx commanded, and his Fallen Angel cawed, obeying his command as it then charged a single orb of energy in its palm. "Finish it off!" he commanded as the creature lobbed the orb of darkness at Blackfeather Dragon, the blast completely absorbing both Crow and his Blackfeather Dragon. The dragon shattered to pixels while Crow yelled in intense pain.

Crow: 0 Life Points

"The Loser of the Duel _falls_… Goodbye, Crow Hogan" Corvx spat as the Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus roared, returning to card form. The holographic field faded, but the orb of darkness did not disappear yet.

Crow continued to yell in pain, but it seemed to slowly fade away, almost never to be heard again.

"Crow… You…" Johnny clenched his fists, unsure of what to feel. He felt sad, and yet angry all at once. The two emotions collided, and he gave Corvx a glare unlike any he'd ever given before. "You…"

"What? Are you going to cry over spilt milk? I was sent to do a job, that's all. I would've rather dealt with Yusei Fudo than one of his pathetic friends" Corvx said, yawning.

"How dare you call Crow 'pathetic'! Johnny yelled, raising his Duel Disk. "Crow was an awesome Duelist, and a good friend to Yusei! I'll make you eat those words, and make sure you choke on them! Then I'll stuff them further down your throat!" he threatened, unable to maintain his cool any longer.

"Hmph, how entertaining; another brat thinks he can beat a force that's been around for hundreds of millennia…" Corvx began to chuckle to himself before he pointed at Johnny. "Do not fret, for we will have our match" he chuckled before pointing at the blue sky. "However, we we will have it at the time of the Twilight. Until then, farewell" Corvx instructed, as if Johnny were supposed to understand. Suddenly, Corvx vanished within a rush of wind and darkness, even his D-Wheel nowhere to be seen anymore, leaving Johnny all alone with the burden of witnessing the death of Crow Hogan.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, this is just a fan fic, etc, etc.

Author's Note: I blame my girlfriend for making me post this... I still think it's a garbage chapter. x.x;


	4. Fallen Black Rose

"Crow…" Johnny clenched his fists as his Wings of the Crimson Dragon birthmark suddenly flared to life. "I'll… avenge you… no matter what!" he fell to his knees and landed a clean punch on the ground. _Man… first it's Jack… then Crow… It's… my fault!_ He tried to hold back his tears, but it was to no avail. He shook, unable to shake off the fact that Crow's death was all his fault, no matter how he tried to rationalize it, if he even wanted to rationalize it in the first place.

"Heh, Crow-sama's gonna fly sky-high one day, and you know it!" Johnny heard Crow's voice trailing off in his memory, imagining that grin of his with an out-stretched fist. Something from the sky seemed to have slowly been falling towards him, a particularly little object.

"Crow…" Johnny swallowed the pain and slowly began to stand. "Man… I won't let you be forgotten… Jack… you too… I won't let them have their way, not anymore!" he shouted out his resolve, and something suddenly landed on his head. "What the?" Johnny looked around, trying to find out where it came from. He shifted the sunglasses on his head, and an object suddenly fell from the top of his head.

"Whoa!" Johnny caught it immediately, seeing it was a card with a white frame. He looked at the card art, and his eyes widened in horrid realization! "T-this card…" he muttered, staring hard at the card art, seeing a black dragon with what appeared to be feathers dancing all around it. He then looked at the name to figure out what it was that he was holding in his hand. "Blackfeather Dragon!" His Signer Mark suddenly glowed, and he heard Crow's voice as if it were crystal clear.

"Johnny…"

"C-Crow?" Johnny started looking around, as if trying to find him. He did not succeed. Was he hearing things?

"Chill out, man… I left you Blackfeather Dragon so you can kick their tails…"

"W-where are you?"

"I dunno, man. I don't know… But anyway, that's beside the point, Johnny." It almost seemed as if Johnny lost his strange connection to Crow at that very second.

"C-Crow, are you there?" Johnny looked around, forgetting that he was no longer with him.

"Dude, relax, hear me out… I'm in some strange place, with Jack… Now, I heard that he left you Red Daemon's Dragon, am I right?"

"Er…" Johnny sweat dropped.

"Don't worry, I knew about it anyway, but I didn't tell Yusei. We may be best friends, but it ain't like we're married!" Crow seemed to be having a laugh.

"Well… I kinda don't want Yusei to blame me for your—"

"Dude, relax! Sheesh, you weren't like this when we first met ya!"

"Um…"

"Anyway. I left you Blackfeather Dragon, 'cause I want you to kick that birdbrain's ass with it!"

"Wait… you approve of me getting revenge?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Not really… we just wanna help you guys in some way, and we think that you're the only one who can do this for us right now."

"How so? I can just have Yusei receive these cards… He'd do a better job carrying on your wishes, and getting you guys back to our world..." Johnny said with a sigh.

"Johnny, does Yusei even know how Regis' Deck works, or even Corvx's?"

"I didn't even understand half the things they did!" Johnny argued.

"Stop being a scared little kid, and fight! It's about time you learned to stand and fight with the power you wield!" Jack seemed to bark like Crow.

Johnny took out the Red Daemon's Dragon card he hid in his jacket, witnessing both dragons glow. _Are they… speaking to me through these cards?_

"Be thankful that I'll allow my soul to assist you!"

"…" Johnny couldn't help but to chuckle and smile. "Whatever, Jack, I'd still win without your help…" he joked before placing the cards back into his jacket pocket. "Don't worry, you guys… I'll get back at them for you!"

"Don't bite off more than you can chew! You saw how their cards work. One relies on Advance Summoning quickly, and the other relies heavily on equip cards! Use that knowledge, and take it to your advantage, as Yusei would say!" Crow lectured.

"And don't fight like a coward in remorse! Take your fear, and use it as your strength! Fight Johnny!" Jack lectured in his own manner.

"Heh… whatever you say, you guys!" Johnny grinned with a new resolve in his eyes. _I'll fight… only because it's you guys! I'll make sure they get a lesson in pain!_ Johnny hopped onto his D-Wheel, and drove off, heading towards the Daedalus Bridge as fast as he could. He needed to regroup with Yusei, and quick.

* * *

"So, Corvx… enjoyed the job, eh?" Regis questioned with a grin.

"...Quiet..." Corvx said, crossing his arms. "I lost Blackfeather Dragon in the midst of being too excited about that Duel... And now I don't know the whereabouts of it. I will have to question Crow before Iblis is angered..."

"Yeah, you know that guy's temper..." Regis said teasingly.

"Do I sense Aeries? Is she in the Satellite?"

"Why yes, yes she is. She's going... to do something pretty entertaining, at least for us" Regis answered with a smirk.

* * *

"Yusei…" Akiza frowned, looking at herself in a body of water. An aura of darkness appeared around her, revealing the image of Aeries. "What have I done…?" she questioned herself, somewhat feeling torment and regret.

"You showed Yusei how powerful you are without him! Remember, Akiza, Yusei was simply holding you back. He made it so your world of perfection was crushed by his stupid birthmark, that accursed Head of the Crimson Dragon birthmark he retains… he's a walking curse" Aeries whispered, almost smirking as those words escaped her lips.

"But… Jack… and Crow… they both forgave Yusei…" Akiza said, her mind tracing back to when she initiated her Duel with Yusei. "Yeah… Crow and Jack both forgave Yusei for what he did… Was I wrong in attacking Yusei instead of forgiving him?" she questioned, holding herself as the thoughts of regret continued raging.

"No, forgiving him would be like saying you wanted him to curse you! If you keep walking down this path, Black Rose Dragon awaits at the end of it!"

"B-Black Rose Dragon…?" Akiza's eyes widened at the very mention of her ex-Signer Dragon.

"Yes, if we keep doing this… Black Rose Dragon will probably be happier, even after death. Even after what I just said, it might have a chance of being in your Extra Deck again!"

"I-is that so…?" Akiza responded, but she shook her head. As much as she loved Black Rose Dragon, as many experiences as she shared with it, the experiences with Yusei overtook them by a landslide. Her heart pulsed, and she saw a clear, vivid image of Yusei smiling at her. Her heart began to race, she never thought of Yusei in such a way, but apparently she was.

_Tch, if this keeps up… She could reject… my control?_ "Don't even think about it, Akiza!" the spirit of the Fallen Angel raged.

"No… it was a mistake to hurt Yusei like that!" Akiza finally decided as she could see Yusei reaching out to her with an outstretched hand. It was there just for saving her, it was there to take her back to him, that's how she felt it was. She reached out to it, as if being slowly released from some form of marionette-like state.

"Did you forget about the shit Yusei put you through, like the destruction of Arcadia Movement, the death of Divine, and the whole battle between you and Misty Lola!" the Fallen Angel shouted, grinning at her new strategy. She was going to begin reading Akiza's memories, bringing up whichever seemed to be sensitive to her, to keep Akiza under her control.

"…" Akiza suddenly paused, her hand so few inches away from Yusei's hand. She slapped it away, and the ghost-like image of Yusei vanished instantly. "You… you're right…" she whispered as some of her hair fell over her face, covering the hurt and sorrow in her eyes. "I…" she bit her bottom lip as her eye sclera slowly turned a pitch black. _Yusei… I…_

"Yes, fall into the darkness… fall deep into it, let it coax you, for your heart is full of pain. That Yusei Fudo, all he did was cut your heart open, even after you showed him your affections for him after the incident with ZONE…" Aeries whispered in Akiza's mind as the aura of darkness slowly began to overtake her body. Her skin was slowly turning gray as her mind was slowly falling further into the dark.

_I… Yusei… Am I right in doing this…?_

"Heh… it feels so good to finally have control over this girl!" Akiza stared at her hands, flexing her fingers as if she were new to her own body. "Love, the human heart, all of those things are what create pure imperfection…. The human race is so full of imperfection, they're all flawed…."

* * *

"Ugh, stupid job…" a man spoke. He couldn't have been any older than his early thirties, and he carried what appeared to be a Duel Disk. "Stupid women, stupid boss, stupid everything…"

"Hm…" Akiza heard the man, and then her eyes widened as a voice spoke through her mind.

_Aeries, it's time… Strike the first blow against humankind, show them that we've reawakened! If none are to recognize our descent, continue the onslaught! Do not just stop at one life… Judge them all through whatever manner you feel is fit!_ The voice echoed through her mind, and she shook her head, almost grinning.

"I see… Thank you, Iblis, for telling me so…" Akiza began to chuckle a little bit as she then looked at the man that was muttering about a horrible life. Her eyes showed her intent, and there was nothing innocent about her intents by the appearance of her darkening eyes. Her grin spread wider and wider as thoughts were racing through her mind, and she seemed to be looking at the man's entire appearances as if reading a book. "I see… I see…" she stopped, and then decided to make a few steps over to the man. _So, it appears that this man is a sexist, someone who believes the opposite sex to be shit. Frank, that's his name. He works under a female boss, and thinks that she should stay in the kitchen, huh?_

The Aeries-possessed Akiza couldn't help but to shake her head as she was chuckling a little bit, "So it seems that the human flaw continues to branch out further and further…." She was closing in on Frank, and little did he know that an angelic demon was approaching him, darkness within artificial light was about to envelope him, but when he'd realize it… it'd be too late for Frank.

"Excuse me…" Akiza tapped the man's shoulder, and all he did was turn his head and glare at her, as if trying to scare her off. "I noticed that you seem slightly annoyed, and you're carrying a Duel Disk…" she raised her own Duel Disk, "so, would you be so kind as to accept my challenge?" She had already begun to spin the spider's web, and the prey was already close to it, so close that she would've been drooling if Frank knew what she was after.

"Excuse me? You really think I feel like Dueling?" Frank responded with a frown.

"Duel me…" Akiza glared at the stranger before her, and the man just chuckled at her. "Oh? Is there something funny about me challenging you?" she asked with a bit of an angry tone, almost as if she were going to strangle his neck in the next moment if he were to continue laughing at her.

"Women shouldn't be thinking of Dueling, at least not women like you…" the man answered with a sigh as his lips then curved into a coy smile at his sexist remark. This was, after all, the mentality of some males who didn't have any respect for women, so apparently he was one that didn't respect women's rights.

"Oh, is that so? If that's what you think… then where do we women 'belong'?" Akiza asked, smirking. She obviously had something planned, something that this man wasn't going to know about until it was too late.

"Women should be in the kitchen, cooking, or simply in the house to clean and clean until their husband comes home. And then, when the husband is indeed home, to service him in the bedroom… you wouldn't be half bad of a wife, especially with those looks" the man answered her, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"Oh, so I'd make a 'not half bad wife', eh? Since you seem to be concentrating more on my unfortunately large chest… why not we have a Duel? You win, I'm all yours" Akiza offered, smirking with nothing more than confidence in her voice.

"Whatever" the man responded, raising his Duel Disk, laughing to himself as he thought he was going to win a woman for himself.

"Finally!" Akiza raised her Duel Disk, and black feathers suddenly danced around the two.

"Frickin' birds, they're always molting so many damn feathers…" the man muttered to himself. "Ladies first! After all, I **am** a gentleman, so I know a lady goes first" he spoke with confidence brimming to the very top of his head.

"Draw!"

_Turn 1_

Akiza: 4000

Duelist: 4000

"First, I'll Normal Summon my **Glow-Up Bulb**!" Akiza commanded as a blue-shaded little plant took on the field. The seedling was extremely weak in terms of it's strength, but it seemed to have some kind of use.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my **Crystal Angel – Red Rose**!" Akiza commanded as she revealed the card in her hand. "I send a Plant on my Field to the Graveyard to Special Summon her!" the seedling shattered into multiple pixels, and suddenly a crystallized angel appeared on the field, dancing majestically as she stopped with a spin kick. The angel appeared to be dressed with petals instead of normal clothing, and even her wings were made of crystallized flower petals.

Crystal Angel – Red Rose: 2400 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7

"I set two cards facedown, and end my turn" Akiza instructed as two horizontal, mysterious-looking cards appeared.

_Turn 2_

"Hmph, it's my turn now, woman!" the man drew his new card, and grinned. "From this point on, you'll be calling me Master Frank!" he laughed as he revealed the card he drew. "When I draw **Explode Inverse**, I can send this Spell Card to the graveyard to inflict 800 Points of damage to the opponent!" he instructed as flames came to life suddenly, and fired at Akiza.

"Hmph, damage as tiny as this doesn't hurt me, not one bit…" Akiza said without remorse, but with a great, wide smile on her face that merely showed how much she enjoyed her pain. Little did Frank know that she was taking real damage at all!

Akiza: 3200 Life Points

"Next, I'll activate the magic of the Spell Card called **Meteor of Destruction**! With this card's effect, you'll take 1000 points of burn damage!" Frank laughed as a meteor shot forth from the card he activated.

Akiza furrowed her brows as she then caught the meteor in her hand, giving small burns to her palm. He laughed at it, and then squashed it with her hand, completely destroying it.

Akiza: 2200 Life Points

"After that, I'll Normal Summon **Solar Flare Dragon**!" he commanded as fire erupted from the ground, releasing a large serpent made of flames in Defense Position.

Solar Flare Dragon: 1000 Defense / 1500 Attack | Level 4

"I'll set one card, and end my turn!" a single horizontal card appeared before him.

"Trap activate, **Holy Song**! Through this card's effect, if I control a face-up Fairy-Type Monster, I destroy a Spell/Trap on your side of the Field!" Crystal Angel – Red Rose suddenly began to sing like a majestic opera singer. She sung with a soprano's voice, her song echoing beautifully as the song danced all around them. The facedown that Frank had set suddenly began to shake as it then shattered.

"Tch…" Frank grunted as the Crystal Angel – Red Rose finally stopped singing. "Oh well! During the End Phase, my Solar Flare Dragon's effect activates!" the dragon roared to life as flames danced around it. "You'll be taking a helping heap of 500 Damage!" flames shot forth from the dragon, now dancing around Akiza.

"Hmph, I already told you that this minor amount of damage doesn't hurt…" Akiza said with coldness as the flames died down around her.

_Turn 3_

"It's over for you!" Akiza commanded as she swiped the top card of her Deck. "First, I'll activate my **Fallen Descendant** Spell Card! Through this card's effect, I send one Monster from my hand to the graveyard…" she sent what appeared to be a DARK-Attribute Monster into her discard pile. "Through Fallen Descendant's effect, I pick a Fairy-Type Monster on my side of the Field, and then Special Summon a DARK-Attribute Fairy-Type Monster in my Deck with a Level Equal to or less than half of that Monster's Level. Since Crystal Angel – Red Rose is Level 7… and 3.5 doesn't exist as a Level… I'll Special Summon the Level 3 **Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge**!" she commanded as feathers began to dance, creating the form of what appeared to be a fallen angel that appeared to be hiding from the daylight.

Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge: 0 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Hmph, a Synchro Summon it seems to be…" Frank crossed his arms, grinning at Akiza.

"I'll _Correct_ the Level 7 Crystal Angel – Red Rose with my Level 3 Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge!" Akiza commanded as the feathers around the battlefield had begun to dance. "_O fallen angel of the night sky's stars, fallen angel descending from the womb of darkness, hear my call! Awaken your powers from the constellation you sleep on! Ram your enemies in half!_ **Star Summon**! Descend from the heavens, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries**!" She commanded as a white light burst forth from the dancing black feathers.

"Wait a second… Star Summon? What the heck is this!"

"The angel's mercy is no longer pleased by your act of begging… God has decreed that we begin taking lives, one by one… be happy that you're the first victim" Akiza said, crossing her arms with her eyes closed as the light began to morph into a murky form. The clouds began to darken, whirling and raging. The winds suddenly picked up, disastrously ripping several garbage cans open like mere paper! Through the disaster, the light from the feathers slowly faded while a light pierced through the dark sky.

"A-Angel of Mercy… please… I'm not ready yet! Holy mother of Jesus… I'm not ready to enter heaven yet, please!" the man began to pray as the violent winds began to pick up. The clouds finally split open. Something was something, something horrible.

Descending from the sky was what appeared to be half-ram yet half-human with gray skin and black fur. It appeared to be female with curved horns on her head, which was made obvious by the light pink hair. Black hair flowed down this thing's head, and crimson red eyes stared down at Frank with a dangerous, ominous glare. She roared with might as her dark wings unfolded with an unholy majesty!

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries: 3500 Attack / 3000 Defense | Level 10

"The Fallen Angels of the Stars have shifted… their wombs are opened, and then despair will fall from the sky in the form of angels… God has decreed that we obliterate all human kind, and erase the stain that you've become…" Akiza explained with eyes full of joy. Suddenly, her skin began to become grayer and grayer as her Fallen Angel began to roar.

_W-What am I doing? I-I can't just slaughter somebody…!_ Akiza shook her head, and the gray skin slowly progressed back to her light tone. _I-I was wrong to let you into my body… now leave, please!_

"Akiza, you and I both know that if we continue fighting together like this, we'll win! It doesn't matter if it's manslaughter, god has commanded that we do it!" the Fallen Angel argued telepathically as it shifted, turning its head to glare at Akiza.

_No… Yusei wouldn't approve of all of this! I was weak, I was foolish when I let you in…_ Akiza's skin slowly became grayer once again, as if she were trying to fight a virus, but the infection was winning control over her body regardless.

"Foolish fool, you've already stained your hands in blood when you were about to kill Yusei Fudo, what makes you think he'd forgive you for that?" the angel screamed in her mind, and Akiza's eyes widened in surprise.

_R-Right… I almost…_ Akiza suddenly remembered her crime, what she'd almost done to Yusei when she summoned Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries for her first time. _Yusei wouldn't forgive me, no matter how much I'd try to beg for forgiveness…Yusei… I'm sorry…_ Akiza's flesh slowly began to become grayer and grayer with each and every passing second. It was over, she had given control back to the monster living within her. "Hehehe…" she began to giggle as her skin turned into s dark shade of gray, and her shoulder blades began to bulge horribly. "Heaven's Judgment is upon you now…" she smirked as her eye sclera turned black and her iris turned yellow. "Your time is up…" large, black angel wings burst out from her shoulder blades, spreading themselves out as she began to ascend into the air slowly.

"This isn't part of the game… girl, what the hell kind of game are you trying to play with me?" Frank yelled.

"This is no longer a game… this is _war_…" Akiza's discard pile glowed, spitting out her Glow-Up Bulb. "I use the effect of **Glow-Up Bulb**! While it's in the graveyard, by sending a single card from the top of my deck to the graveyard, it's Special Summoned back onto the Field! Be revived, **Glow-Up Bulb**!" she commanded as a small sprout appeared on the field, opening it's one eye.

Glow-Up Bulb: 100 Attack / 100 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Twilight Rose Knight**, whose effect activates, giving me the ability to Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Plant-type Monster in my hand! Reveal yourself, **Rose Fairy**!" Akiza commanded as a warrior with blue hair, and a pink-colored sprite appeared on the field with a rosy-colored head and eyes.

Rose Fairy: 800 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 3

Twilight Rose Knight: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Heh… I'll Tune the Level 3 Rose Fairy to the Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight!" three rings surrounded three orbs of light, the sounds of Momentum-control echoing all around the two Duelists. "Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, **Splendid Rose**!" Akiza commanded as the blond-headed man appeared on the field with several vines flying around his body.

Splendid Rose: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"Now, I'll Tune the Level 6 Splendid Rose to my Level 1 Glow-Up Bulb!" she commanded once more.

"Double Synchro Summon! Some skills this woman has!" Frank muttered to himself as his eyes widened in surprise as he was witnessing Akiza's next move. _What is she going to Summon?_

"Akiza, I told you… Black Rose Dragon waited for us at the end of your hardships… I promised you…" the possessed Akiza muttered to herself as a single ring surrounded a line of six orbs of light! "_Chilling flames engulf the world! Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!_ Synchro Summon! Appear, **Black Rose Dragon**!" she commanded as the light suddenly turned purple, and it exploded with multiple petals.

"Wait… did you say 'Black Rose Dragon'?" Frank repeated, his eyes wide in surprise once more. Fear filled his heart, rushing his blood faster and faster through his veins and arteries. Even his blood knew that it was over, and he'd lose this Duel as well as possibly die… The gales around them suddenly rushed as the light slowly vanished, revealing a dragon of almost crimson-like color, appearing almost as if it were made of rose petals. The neck of the dragon arose from its slumber, revealing a dragon's head with threatening red eyes that appeared ready to kill the new victim standing before it!

Black Rose Dragon: 2400 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7

"Now, Black Rose Dragon's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I remove a Plant-Type Monster in my graveyard from play in order to force your Solar Flare Dragon into attack position!" Akiza instructed as Rose Fairy's spirit rose towards Black Rose Dragon. The dragon growled and swallowed it whole as its tentacles suddenly reached out, grabbing Solar Flare Dragon. "_Rose Restriction_!" she commanded as the creature was forcefully moved to Attack Position. "Then… its attack power hit's Zero!"

"Z-Zero you say?"

Solar Flare Dragon: 0 Attack / 1000 Defense

"Battle! Black Rose Dragon attacks your Solar Flare Dragon! **Black Rose Flare**!" she commanded as the dragon launched a beam of purple at the weakened dragon of flames. The dragon was blown to pixels, and the purple stream of flames then lashed at Frank, making him scream in horrible agony!

"D-Damn!" he grunted, trying to hold down his ground as his Life Points decreased quickly.

Frank: 1600

"Your Life Points are linked to your actual Life Force in this Duel… if you lose… you _fall_…" Akiza couldn't help but to chuckle a little bit. "It's over for you… Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries, attack the human directly! **End of Despair**!" she commanded the angel-looking monster as it then huffed deeply, reaching down to Frank. "Now, become the first sacrifice, human!"

"N-N-NOOOOOOO!" the man's screams and shouts echoed throughout the artificially created night sky.

* * *

"And it seems Aeries finally has more control over the human she has been taken into…" Regis chuckled, grinning widely. "With this, the war of the Fallen and the Humans… has begun! Signers ain't gonna be stopping us anytime soon!" he laughed as he then patted Corvx on the back.

"Hmph, it took her this long to gain control over that human? What was so special about that human that Aeries was being resisted for this long?" Corvx couldn't help but to be curious about that, since it was average for them to completely take over if there was even a _small_ crevice in the human's heart.

"I don't know either… Could something have been slowly filling that girl's crevices?" Regis looked at Corvx.

"A crevice can only be filled by so many things, so it'd be hard to lay a finger on what is it that caused resistance to Aeries' control… We must keep watch over Aeries specifically…" Corvx crossed his arms.

"Yeah… if that crevice were to be filled… Aeries might suffer one of two things…" Regis closed his eyes, nodding his head. Corvx already knew what Regis would say, so the two remained silent as they then turned around, looking at the throne where their master resided within the shadows.

"Master Iblis, is there anything else you wish for us to do?" Regis asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There is nothing to do other than wage wars with other humans, destroy them, and give them judgment. Either they fall, or they get to live in that purgatory they call 'life'…" their master answered, almost as if he shifted from his slumber. "Stir up the members of Yliaster, tell them of my descending, tell them that Yliadus is awake, and wishes to see sacrifices prepared for my children…" he said as if he had begun to chuckle.

"Right… Cancer, Aquarius, Cassiopeia and Crux have yet to awaken… I wonder if they're all just screwing around in their sleep" Regis shrugged. "But hell, I'd like to at least see Cassiopeia awaken…"

"What, still in love with her?" Corvx grinned.

"S-Shut up! Who told you that heap of lies?" Regis argued.

"There's a fine line between truth and lies, we can read them, Regis. Have you forgotten that our ability of Judgment allows us to read truth from lies, as well as the past?" Corvx chuckled to himself as he answered Regis intelligently.

"Tch, whatever…" Regis looked away with his arms crossed. _Still wish Cassiopeia would finally awaken… damn woman's late to this party…_

* * *

Author's Note: Again, blame my girlfriend. She's inspired me to post this crap. XP

Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.


	5. Birthplace of the Darkness: The Void!

As Johnny rode through the night, searching endlessly for an exit from Satellite, his thoughts drifted back to Crow and Jack, and their words. "Jack… Crow… You guys…" his eyes came close to tearing as images of them appeared, but he wiped the tears away from under his helmet. _I won't let your sacrifice be a waste… I'll defeat Corvx and Regis… no matter what!_ He stopped immediately when he reached the top of a hill, unsure of where to go. _Where the heck am I…?_ He looked around, seeing a lot of scrap metal all around him, maybe several D-Wheel parts along with heaps and heaps of useless junk. He demounted his D-Wheel, and examined the area, standing upon the sea of uselessness.

"This isn't good…" he muttered as he continued to examine the area. "How the hell did I even get here?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Welcome to hell…" someone said, shattering the silence of the night.

"Huh?" Johnny looked around, sweating a little bit in nervousness. "Aw crap, don't tell me I got into one of those dangerous areas here!" he gulped.

"You picked the right time to come here… We're buying nice, good-looking D-Wheels" another voice hissed.

"You don't plan on buying it, you're gonna rob me!" Johnny panicked, hopping back onto his D-Wheel. A single arm broke out from the junk, grabbing his leg suddenly. "OH SHI-" another hand reached out from behind Johnny, grabbing his arms. "Oh what the f-" someone pushed him off his D-Wheel, and he got a good look at the people attacking him. They were, of course, people with Criminal Markers on the right side of their faces.

"We're taking your stuff, kid" one of them said with a grin across his young face. He had brown hair, fairly short, with only a biker jacket on him and leather pants. On the right side of his face, there was a musical note-shaped Criminal Marker.

"Hey, stop that, I kinda need that D-Wheel in order to leave" Johnny said.

"Pft, naw you don't need that!" the other criminal burst out from the junk they stood on, appearing to be someone with a beak-shaped nose, short blue hair that at least covered who-knows-what on his forehead. On the right side of his face was a round little Criminal Marker, but nonetheless, it was a Criminal Marker. The criminal wore a biker jacket as well along with the same pair of leather pants the other criminal wore.

"Yes, I kinda do" Johnny retaliated by leaping back onto his feet, and raising his fists.

"Pft, I like this kid, he's got guts" the brown-haired criminal laughed.

"I just want my D-Wheel back, alright?" Johnny tried to remain calm.

"Fine, give us your cards" the other criminal grinned.

"Why the hell would I do that?"

"'cause you want your D-Wheel back."

"Well, I know I can be stupid, but I definitely know I ain't retarded" Johnny answered, his fists still raised. "I'll fight you guys for it then!"

"Pft, brave kid!" the beak-nosed one jumped, but leaped a little too far to the left from Johnny, falling off the hill and knocking his head into a television.

"Well… uh…" Johnny sweat dropped. "One down" he looked at the brown-haired criminal who also raised his fists.

"Now, put'em up!"

"I've had them up for the past half hour…" Johnny answered with another sweat drop at the back of his head.

"Oh…" the criminal threw a punch. Johnny evaded the punch and threw one of his own, and the criminal also evaded the punch. "Dang, you're good."

"Dude, we only threw one punch" Johnny blinked.

"Screw this, I'm giving it back" the criminal sighed and jumped off the hill of junk. "Don't ever come by again!"

"Um… I win?" Johnny blinked several times, unable to process what just happened to him. "I guess I should start trying to find my way outta here…" Johnny muttered, about to mount himself on his D-Wheel.

"Yo, kid" a familiar voice rang out.

Johnny's head immediately shot up in the direction of the voice "Stop trying to steal my stuff!"

"What the hell was that?" the voice questioned. Johnny finally found the source of the voice within a shadow. Stepping out were two figures, both of which made Johnny's insides squirm while his thoughts all converted into rage.

"Corvx…" Johnny examined the one on the left, and then looked at the other one, "and Regis…" he spat. "So, the two of you came looking for me?"

"I'm only here because of that mistake all those months ago…" Regis shrugged, remembering the end of his Duel with Jack Atlas. _I may have won, but we lost a valuable hostage. That Red Demon's cannot be allowed to be in the hands of another Signer…_

"As am I, except my mistake was the most recent. Now, you are in possession of two previous Signer Dragons, so thus, we must recollect them from you before you cause any trouble with them…" Corvx crossed his arms.

"However, we have other business to take care of before we can bother with you" Regis turned around. "We merely decided to warn you, that way you could be ready for when our time comes to hunt you down…" he said with a tone full of warning.

"Yes indeed, that is all we are here to tell you… It is about time we take our leave" Corvx turned around as well; ready to walk away with Regis.

"Oh no you don't!" Johnny chased them both before they could even get the chance to move. In his eyes, rage could be seen, the flames of vengeance peaked within his body, but he wasn't going to drive himself insane because of it. He planned on winning, and getting his friends back from them, that was all he had in plan.

"Oh?" Regis looked at Corvx with a grin across his face. "Is he really that stupid? I think he's trying to challenge the _both_ of us at once," he pointed at Johnny and began to chuckle. He seemed a little impressed by Johnny's guts, but it wasn't enough for him to feel any bit threatened.

"You bastards killed Jack and Crow… I refuse to let their lives be played around with! We're humans, we're not pawns for your damned games!" Johnny shouted, almost as if he were going to lose his mind. Rage clouded his judgment, as his thoughts were no longer rational.

"Humph, the human heart is guiding him to such a redundant thought… Weren't you the one that saved your Signer friend from being a vengeful woman?" Corvx asked, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but that's because she wasn't an enemy of mine… A fellow Signer is a friend, and anyone that's a friend of Yusei's was also a friend of mine… and then you two took Jack and Crow away…" Johnny clenched his fists tightly as his blood began to boil. He could feel the rage of the ancients flowing through his body, as if the dinosaurs he loved so much were fueling him with the rage he needed to defeat his two mighty foes.

"So, you think you're tough enough to challenge us both?" Regis asked with a chuckle as he looked at his hand. "You're a fool to think so, you got that?"

"How is it foolish to fight for what's right? How's it foolish to avenge your friends?" Johnny yelled as he invoked his Duel Disk. "Now, Duel me at once! I'll take on the both of you if I have to!"

Corvx looked at Regis, and chuckled as he placed his palm over his face. He just kept on laughing and laughing, not even aware that Johnny was growing angrier by the every bit of laughter. "You know that we're not humans, we're not something you can take out on your own…" he pointed at Johnny without even looking at him. "Realize your foolishness, human. You cannot defeat beings that have waited almost 3000 years to finalize their judgment over the human stain…."

"Kid, you better just get tougher before you even _think_ of challenging either of us… We may not seem like it, but… We're Fallen Angels, but we're ranked soldiers to our God. Corvx and I are on the same standing…" Regis pointed out with a grin.

"Then what rank are you, I can guarantee I'll still take you down anyway?" Johnny questioned, despite how much he didn't truly care.

Corvx and Regis looked at each other, for they were somewhat amazed at the level of stupidity Johnny had. "This kid's serious?" Regis asked.

"I suppose he has a death wish…" Corvx responded and then the two looked at Johnny once more with calm eyes once more. The eyes of humans they were possessing seemed to be empty, yet full of a foreign life that seemed to move around like a parasite within their pupils. "We're Rank 2" the both of them said at the same time in a monotonous voice.

"Rank 2, amongst us, is _nowhere_ near your lower level of skills… You wouldn't be able to fight on par with me, even if I were using a Deck full of Level 2 Monsters. As a note, all of them are _Normal_ Monsters" Corvx spoke to Johnny, looking down at him with his empty eyes. He himself knew that

"Tch, stop underestimating me!" Johnny growled before he tried to leap at them in order to swipe a punch. Instead, Regis grabbed Johnny's fist, and tightened his grip on it. "What the?" his eyes widened as his knuckled were cracking from Regis' grip!

"Kid, I already said it… you need to get stronger, and then _maybe_ you'll be able to fight us" Regis sighed as he shook his head.

"For now… _good night_" Corvx then landed a clean punch into Johnny's gut, making him grunt in pain as his vision slowly began to blur. All of the colors around him, all of the sounds around him could barely be heard, but he acknowledged that they were still there. His senses were slowly shutting down as his body plopped hard onto the floor.

"When it is the time of the Twilight, I suppose we'll cross on the battlefield regardless, kid… We don't feel like handing you your own head on a Duel Disk" Regis said, beginning to grin at Johnny's fallen form. "You'd have been quite entertaining… but we're done with you" he turned away along with Corvx.

"N…No…" Johnny tried to speak, and then coughed hard as he was struggling to move a single finger.

"Hm?" Corvx turned around, looking at how Johnny was struggling to move. "I shocked your entire nervous system with that one punch, don't expect yourself to stand anytime soon" he said with a tone of coldness behind his voice.

"I won't… just let you guys… leave!" Johnny growled as he tried to move his arm now, only able to make it twitch, but it wasn't enough for him.

"Kid, just stand down and stop struggling. Your friends will find you eventually, and get back into shape" Regis sighed, frowning at the fact that Johnny was even _trying_ to move.

"I won't…" Johnny's fist clenched as his Signer Mark suddenly shone to life. The crimson light glowed brightly, but it didn't burn him. "I won't let you… leave… not yet!" he yelled as he was able to finally move his arm!

"What the? Could this be the power of the Crimson Dragon we're seeing here?" Corvx looked at Regis.

Regis shrugged, "I don't know. I haven't really seen Signers in action."

"It doesn't matter anymore. We have spent too much time here, we shall be leaving you alone now, Johnny" Corvx said as he began to turn around.

"Stop it right there!" Johnny demanded as his Signer Mark glowed intensely and Meteo-Rage Dragon formed in front of Corvx and Regis, roaring mightily as it descended, its feet finally contacting the ground.

"Humph, your Signer Dragon's will is what kept you here… I see…" Regis grinned, cocking an eyebrow. "Man, this is some stupid stuff we got into…"

"Are you angry, Signer?" Corvx asked, turning to look at Johnny with eyes of cold, silent anger.

"I won't let you guys leave so soon… with the powers of my friends flowing through this birthmark, I'll defeat you!" Johnny shouted as he finally got back up on his feet, Duel Disk activated and ready to begin his battle against the Fallen Angels. Meteo-Rage Dragon roared as he then shattered into crimson pixels, all of it flying back to Johnny's Extra Deck.

Regis sighed, and scratched the back of his head, "I really don't feel like it… Corvx you want to take out the trash?"

"Humph, I'll take him out soon…" Corvx activated his Duel Disk as well, and what appeared to look like wings shout out from the Duel Disk with all five Monster Zones and Spell/Trap Zones clearly visible. "And so, Johnny Alvarez, are you ready to fight for your life?"

"Bring it on!" Johnny said with a grin over his face. His eyes were no longer full of rage, nor were they empty anymore. Now, they were full of life, and full of resolve. _I almost forgot that revenge isn't the way to go… It's just to fight for my friends, and win them back!_

"DUEL!" the two of them shouted as feathers danced all around them, creating a circle that surrounded both Johnny and Corvx.

"Now all damage will become real, and the battle between our Monsters won't be a hologram… This is an all out _war_, understand that, human?" Corvx explained as he drew his opening hand along with Johnny.

"That ain't going to scare me, Corvx!" Johnny replied as he viewed his opening hand, his eyes looking at the one card in his hand. _Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind! Crow… You're with me on this one, eh?_ Johnny smiled as an image of Crow appeared in his mind.

"The first turn will be yours, Johnny Alvarez… so make sure you spend your turn wisely" Corvx narrowed his eyes at Johnny.

_Turn 1_

Johnny: 4000

Corvx: 4000

"Alrighty then, Draw!" Johnny drew his fifth card, grinning. "First, I'll Normal Summon my Jurrac Guaiba!" he commanded as fires flared to life, forming a yellow-skinned dinosaur with red markings and a blue-colored face. The dinosaur screeched savagely as the flames danced around it, and its eyes revealed a savage-like nature.

Jurrac Guaiba: 1700 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 4

"Hm, what an interesting creature, it seems to show how your heart really looks…" Corvx noted before crossing his arms.

"I'll set two cards, and end my turn!" Johnny instructed as two vertical cards appeared before him.

_Turn 2_

"I guess you ran out of moves… Draw!" Corvx drew the new card, and looked at it with apathy. _I see, I see, I see… very well then, if I must do so._ "First, Johnny Alvarez, I'll play the Field Spell card known as **The Void**!" he commanded as the card emitted a dark aura all around it.

"What's up with the card?" Johnny raised an eyebrow as Corvx placed the card into the Field Spell Zone.

"I guess Yusei Fudo never taught you what a "Card of Darkness" is… This card isn't your average card; it's a card that originates from a single place, a single place where our god once rested, that is called: The Void. The Void is a place where souls are left to be damned, a place where no one can escape. It is pure darkness in its truest form…" Corvx explained as his Duel Disk began to emit a wave of darkness. Then, several waves of darkness emitted from his Duel Disk. Suddenly, the waves began to gather together, swirling around both Johnny and Corvx.

"Humph, a 'Card of Darkness', eh? Oh well, this trick ain't scaring me, not anytime soon, Corvx!" Johnny roared with resolve along with his dinosaur.

"This is no trick boy, this is reality. You will learn to accept it…" Corvx smiled as an orb of light formed in between the two of them, and the orb of light spiraled around, giving only slight illumination of the two's field as the darkness enshrouded. Moaning and groaning echoed, and plagued the field, surprising Johnny as they were out of nowhere!

"Alright, enough with the tricks, dude. I get it, you wanna instill fear in me, but it ain't gonna work…" Johnny shivered a little as the field began to become colder, and the moans and shrieks of what seemed to be people continued to echo around them.

"We are now in The Void, boy… Through this Field Spell, all non DARK-Attribute Monsters on the opponent's side of the Field are subjected to losing 400 Attack Points during each of their End Phases. If they are reduced to 0 Attack Points, then they are automatically removed from play… If you're not careful, the darkness will swallow you whole!" Corvx then revealed a single card in his hand. "I'll activate the Quick-Play Spell called **Celestial Transformation**! With this card's effect, I Special Summon a single Fairy-type Monster in my hand… I'll Special Summon my **Gellenduo**!" he commanded as twin fairies surrounded by a ring appeared on the field.

Gellenduo: 850 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 4

"When he's Special Summoned by Celestial Transformation, the card reduces him to half of his power, and then he's destroyed at the End Phase. However…" Corvx then proceeded to reveal another card in his hand. "I'll Tribute this pathetic creature, treating it as two tributes in order to Summon the almighty **Darklord Asmodeus**!" a dark fairy appeared on the field, roaring to life as his robes danced.

Darklord Asmodeus: 3000 Attack / 2800 Defense | Level 8

"Whenever a DARK-Attribute Monster is Summoned, the player that Controls it can draw one card!" Corvx drew a new card.

"By what effect?" Johnny appeared a little surprised as he blinked.

"Through the effect of my Field Spell, of course. How else could I draw a new card?" Corvx asked with a grin. _Little does he know, this effect can only be used twice per turn…_

_Tch, that Monster… it's effect makes it so he can lose a Fairy in his Deck once per turn, and even if I manage to kill it, he'll just Special Summon two tokens like he did against Crow…_ Johnny looked at his facedown cards and smiled at them.

"I'll use Darklord Asmodeus' effect! Once per turn, I take a single Fairy in my Deck and send it into the graveyard… Farewell, my **Athena**!"

_Athena? I never saw that monster in his Deck…_ Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Next, I'll activate the **Rebirth Summon** Spell Card. I take a single Monster card in my hand and sent it to the graveyard… and if it's Level is higher than the Level of a Monster existing in my graveyard… I can Special Summon it onto the Field! So I'll take the Level 8 **Darklord Superbia **and ditch him into the graveyard to Special Summon **Athena** from the graveyard!" Corvx commanded as a bright light emitted from his Duel Disk, revealing the ascending Greek Goddess from the graveyard who swooned beautifully. She settled onto their field, but then the darkness surrounded her and made her scream horribly.

"What the? Why's the Field reacting so strangely to her?" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise as he witnessed the Field Spell reacting to Athena's Summon!

"Because the Darkness and the Light are never meant to get along… When a LIGHT-Attribute Monster is summoned, this Field will convert it into a DARK-Attribute Monster…" Corvx answered as Athena continued to scream as the darkness finally enshrouded her, and vanished, revealing a gray-skinned woman with white hair, and red eyes. She bore an evil smirk that forewarned what she was indeed planning.

"Then the point in Summoning her was for the boost, right?"

"You are indeed correct, however… whenever a DARK-Attribute Monster is Summoned onto the Field, I draw one card, at least only twice per turn!" Corvx drew his new card.

"Tch, strong Field Spell…" Johnny commented with a mutter.

Athena: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7 | DARK Attribute

"Now then, human, I'll use the Spell Card called **Trade In**. I send a Level 8 Monster in my hand to the graveyard…" he ditched what appeared to be Darklord Zerato, "and then I draw two new cards to replace it!" he drew the two cards, and began to laugh a little bit.

"What's so funny?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"This Duel's over for you, no matter how much you want to resist it…" Corvx pointed at Athena. "I activate Athena's Monster effect! I take a Fairy on my Field, and send it to the graveyard…" Darklord Asmodeus roared as he shattered into several pixels. "Then, I select a Fairy in the graveyard, and Special Summon it!" he commanded as a jar-shaped fairy appeared on the field, growling as the pixels finally formed it!

Darklord Superbia: 2900 Attack / 2300 Defense

"Next, my Athena's effect activates! When a Fairy is Summoned, you take 600 points of damage!" Corvx commanded as holy darkness shone from the Goddess' staff, and the darkness lunged at Johnny, wrapping around his neck.

"6-600 Damage?" Johnny repeated as the darkness began to strangle him a little bit, and was losing consciousness slowly.

Johnny: 3400

"Darklord Superbia's Monster effect activates! When he's Special Summoned out of my graveyard… I Special Summon 1 Fairy from the graveyard! Be revived, **Darklord Zerato**!" a mighty fallen angel appeared from the depths of the darkness, revealing its large muscles and the large sword in its hand as purple lightning began to rain from above the Duelists!

"Wait, another Fairy…?" Johnny's eyes widened as he knew what was coming next.

"You are correct! Take another 600 Damage, Johnny Alvarez!" the darkness strangled Johnny again, and tightened its grip around his body. He could feel himself growing numb as his Life Points shot down by another 600.

Johnny: 2800

"Heh, nice one, Corvx… Looks like you've got this Duel under wraps" Regis grinned as he snapped his fingers. For some strange reason, the moaning and groaning in the Field Spell began to die down, and only two could be heard, as if they were arguing.

"Naw, Johnny's gonna rescue us!" one voice said.

"How the hell is he going to save us from where he is! He's still new to being knowledgeable about the Crimson Dragon!" the other voice yelled with a deep tone.

"Those voices…" Johnny muttered as he looked around, trying to find the source of them. He searched desperately, for their familiarity was something he couldn't simply ignore. Something about them reminded him of two people he knew who argued consistently like that.

"Wondering who they are?" Corvx asked, his face unmoved, but he still bore that arrogant grin over his face. "Would you like to know who they are?"

"Let's show him anyway!" Regis chuckled. "Regardless, Johnny's gonna be staying here for quite some time…" he snapped his fingers, and a dim light shone upon two figures who were hanging by their arms as if they were chained or something.

Johnny's attention went to the two figures and his eyes shot open as his pupils shrunk a little bit. "C-Crow… Jack!" Johnny called out the two, but for some reason, they didn't seem to notice Johnny at all. "Jack! Crow!" he called out for them once again, but there was no response from either of them.

"Looks like they can't hear you…" Corvx said with a light tone as he then pointed at both Jack and Crow. "When you lose, Johnny, you'll have joined them… wouldn't that be quite the happy fate for you?"

"Join them…?" Johnny muttered the same sentence back. He thought about it, he'd always thought about how he bore the sin of doing nearly nothing to save either of them. The darkness released him as he dropped onto his feet, but he wasn't anywhere near balanced on his two feet. He trembled; he could feel a few of his bones giving in on him, for they were shattered by the tight grip of the darkness.

"Yes, if you lose this Duel… you'll join your comrades, isn't that what you've always wanted?" Corvx asked, now prying into Johnny's deepest guilt.

"…" he had no idea how to answer, but suddenly his Wings of the Crimson Dragon birthmark shone brightly, piercing the darkness!

"What the? What's this crimson light?" Jack looked in the direction of Johnny, seeing the light, but unable to see who it belonged to.

"I dunno… but it looks weird…" Crow raised an eyebrow, watching the light carefully. "Wait… why does that look like…"

"The Crimson Dragon's Birthmark!" Jack announced as he then looked at Crow.

"Yeah, specifically the Wings mark… could Johnny be here?"

"Looks like I was wrong…" Jack shook his head, and then looked at Johnny. _Come on, kid, don't fail us here…_ "Johnny, you better win this battle!"

Johnny looked at Jack and Crow, realizing that they could now see him! "Jack, Crow, don't worry! I'll save you guys, and beat the crap out of these two!" Johnny faced Corvx once again, with eyes full of resolve once more. "Sorry, but I ain't losing this Duel, not today!"

"Hmph, human, realize that your logic is flawed… Look at my current Field. Do you think you're close to being able to win?" Corvx asked.

"Heck yeah, because I've got a reason to win!" Johnny replied.

"Humph, we'll see who is the victor of this battle by the end… **Darklord Superbia** will attack your **Jurrac Guaiba**! _Dark Heavens_!" the jar-shaped fairy flew towards Johnny dinosaur, but Johnny didn't appear to be worried.

"Quick-Play Spell, activate!" he commanded as one facedown card opened up, and waves shot out at Darklord Superbia! "**Shrink**! Through this card's effect, I can halve the attack power of an opponent's Monster until the End Phase!" Johnny instructed as pixels of Darklord Superbia shattered, revealing it to be smaller than its previous size.

Darklord Superbia: 1450 Attack

"W-What?" Corvx responded as his creature crashed right into Jurrac Guaiba, who took a vicious bite out of Darklord Superbia! The creature shattered to pixels as the blood of Darklord Superbia remained on the ground. The flames of Guaiba attacked Corvx, and made him grunt a little bit.

Corvx: 3750

"When Jurrac Guaiba successfully destroys a Monster by battle… he can call up one of his friends for help! I'll Special Summon, out of my Deck, **Jurrac Dino**!" Johnny commanded as flames danced on his field, forming yet another dinosaur, this one appearing to be a hatchling almost fully grown from its egg!

Jurrac Dino: 1700 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"That doesn't matter; I still have two more attacks!" Corvx announced.

"Oh, it does matter! I'll activate this next facedown card called **Threatening Roar**!" the trap flipped open and the two dinosaurs roared mightily at Corvx. "With this card's effect, none of your monsters can attack this turn!"

"Tch… I'll set a card facedown and end my turn…" Corvx muttered as a vertical card appeared before him.

_Turn 3_

"It's my move!" Johnny drew his new card, and then looked at his current Field. "I'll activate the Spell Card called **Double Summon**! During this turn, I can Normal Summon twice!" he declared as he revealed a Monster in his hand. "First, I'll Normal Summon my **Jurrac Velo**!" he instructed as flames danced once more, and formed a velociraptor that growled mightily.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"After that, I'll Normal Summon, for my second time this turn, **Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind**!" Johnny commanded as the bird formed on his field, squawking as it stared hard at **Darklord Zerato**.

Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind: 1300 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Thanks to your Field Spell, I get to draw one card! Thank you very much!" Johnny grinned as he drew his new card, and smiled at it.

"Trap Activate, **Torrential Tribute**! When a Monster is Summoned, all Monsters on the Field are automatically destroyed by this tidal wave!" he commanded as water immediately surged forth, rising and rising more threateningly. Johnny's dinosaurs all roared in fear as it was slowly coming down upon the monsters on the Field!

"Quick-Play Spell, activate!" Johnny jumped towards the tidal wave as he slammed a Spell Card into his Spell/Trap Zone. Immediately, he spread his arms and legs out as lightning emitted from his body, and tore the wave asunder!

"What the hell did you do, human?" Corvx raised an eyebrow.

"**My Body as a Shield**!" Johnny commanded as his body surged with pain, and his Signer Mark shone brighter than the dim light at the center of Corvx's Field Spell. "Through this card's effect… by paying 1500 Life Points… I can stop the effect of a card that destroys my Monster Cards!" he instructed as he landed on the ground, and the Monsters on his field all nodded their heads in approval and happiness at their master's action.

Johnny: 1300 Life Points

"Humph, you've lowered yourself below my own Life Points… are you quite sure you can survive this way?" Corvx pointed out.

"I noticed… but I ain't gonna give up, just because my points are lower than yours! I activate Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind's Monster Effect! Once per turn, an enemy monster's Attack and Defense Points are halved down!" he pointed at Darklord Zerato. The bird squawked as it then flapped its wings, releasing gales that made the fallen angel groan in pain.

Darklord Zerato: 1400 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 8

"Next up, I'll tune the Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba to my Level 3 Jurrac Dino!" Johnny commanded as three rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_Running along the streams of time, your burning instinct lives, even today! Your heartbeats will fill the air! Synchro Summon! Appear!_ **Jurrac Giganoto**!" he chanted as the light exploded, revealing a large powerhouse tyrannosaurus with a blue body, yellow-red face, and flames that danced around it. It roared mightily as the flames revealed what appeared to be souls of it's fallen comrades!

Jurrac Giganoto: 2100 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 7

"Jurrac Giganoto's Monster effect makes it so all Jurracs on my Field gain 200 Points for each and every Jurrac in the graveyard!" Johnny grinned as the flames around Velo began to grow stronger, and the dinosaur roared as if it were aging into a more mature dinosaur.

Jurrac Giganoto: 2500 Attack / 1800 Defense

Jurrac Velo: 2100 Attack / 400 Defense

"Tch, those Monsters are not any stronger than my Athena… you'll need to try harder than that" Corvx frowned.

"I can tell you're the type to one-up on someone, huh?" Johnny asked, almost frowning. "Battle! Jurrac Velo attacks your Athena!"

"Are you stupid? Athena has more power than that pathetic overgrown lizard you call a Monster" Corvx pointed out.

Johnny grinned slyly. He knew very well what he was doing, because he had a plan to take down Athena from the very beginning of his turn. Jurrac Velo crashed into Athena's holy lance, and the dinosaur roared as it burst to pixels, some of the blood and carnage stayed on the field for a few seconds before they burst into pixels.

Johnny: 800

"Ugh… a little painful…" Johnny coughed a bit before grinning. "Jurrac Velo's Monster Effect activates! When he's been destroyed by battle… I Special Summon another Jurrac with 1700 or Less Attack Points from my Deck!" he revealed a single Jurrac Monster in his Deck. "I'll pick my **Jurrac Iguanon**!" he commanded as another dinosaur appeared on the field, this one with green flesh.

Jurrac Iguanon: 1700 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 4

"Jurrac Giganoto's effect, for every Jurrac in the graveyard, it's a 200 Point Boost for all of the ones residing in my graveyard!"

"Wait… that effect…" Corvx's eyes widened in surprise.

Jurrac Giganoto: 2700 Attack / 1800 Defense

Jurrac Iguanon: 2500 Attack / 1200 Defense

"Looks like you caught on quick… but it's too late for that now! Battle! Jurrac Giganoto attacks that Athena of yours!" Johnny commanded as Jurrac Giganoto roared mightily, charging at Athena! "_Blazing Strike_!" the dinosaur rammed into the mighty fallen Goddess, making her scream as she fell back, shattering into tiny pixels.

"Gah!" Corvx grunted as Jurrac Giganoto's flames attacked him without mercy.

Corvx: 3650

"Next up, Jurrac Iguanon attacks your **Darklord Zerato**!" Johnny commanded as the dinosaur rammed right into Darklord Zerato, and the fallen angel roared as his sword fell out of his hand, flying towards Corvx! With immediate reflex, he attempted to avoid the sword, but the sword swiped right past his shoulder, leaving a large slash mark.

Corvx: 2550

"My Attack ain't over yet, Corvx!" Johnny threw a fist pump at Corvx, "Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind attacks you directly!" The avian heeded his command, and squawked as it shot itself right for him!"

"Ugh!" the avian pecked at him from several angles, making him slightly feel irritated.

Corvx: 1250

"You fool…" he stopped groaning, standing still as he clenched his fists tightly. "You think… I'd just let that happen without some form of a backup?" he asked rhetorically as he revealed a single Monster in his hand. "When a Level 8 or Higher Fairy-type Monster is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon my **Darklord Bathin** during the end of that Battle Phase!" Corvx commanded as a pale man on a horse appeared on the field, and the horse neighed mightily, its black hairs standing stiff.

Darklord Bathin: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Hmph, I'll set this facedown and end my turn!" Johnny instructed.

"Don't forget, my Field Spell lets me draw a new card!" Corvx drew his new card, and then drew the card for his Draw Phase. "Don't think I haven't forgotten for a second… my Field Spell reduces all of your non-DARK Attribute Monsters by 400!" a wave of darkness burst out, wrapping around Jurrac Giganoto and Jurrac Iguanon.

Jurrac Giganoto: 2300 Attack

Jurrac Iguanon: 2100 Attack

"Tch…" Johnny noticed that their power decreased at that very instant.

_Turn 4_

"Johnny… this is where it all ends!" Corvx revealed the Monster card in his hand. "I'll Normal Summon my **Darklord Zagan**!" he announced as a dark-colored bull appeared on the field, baring, grunting, and roaring loudly as large wings burst out from its back!

Darklord Zagan: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Wait… that monster…!" Johnny's eyes shot open in surprise.

"I'll always be one step ahead of you, human! I draw a new card!" Corvx drew his new card as the feathers began to glow with a dark, tainted power. The feathers suddenly spun and danced, as if something were coming!

"These conditions… His Fallen Angel!" Johnny muttered as he realized what was now going to happen.

"It's over, Johnny Alvarez! I'll _correct_ the Level 8 Darklord Bathin with my Level 3 **Darklord Zagan**!" Corvx commanded as three rings formed from black feathers, and they spun around a line of eight black feathers. Dark light shot out from the dancing feathers, and the light absorbed the fallen angels into its grip! "_Fallen Angel of the Stars, awaken from the heavenly constellation which was your womb! Show them what death truly looks like_!" the dark light ripped open, revealing an avian-looking man with large wings that unfolded, revealing how large and mighty they were. "Descend from the Womb of Darkness, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus**!"

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus: 3300 Attack / 3500 Defense | Level 11

"Fallen Angel… Corvus…" Johnny muttered, looking at his empty hand, as well as the very last card in his Spell/Trap Zone. _Darn it… Gambling may be the only way out at this rate…_

"You, Johnny Alvarez have put up quite the entertaining fight…" Corvx said as his shoulder blades bulged sickeningly. They bubbled, and it sounded as if something were ripping beneath his clothes. "However… putting up a good fight won't save you! It has been decided… this farce will end!" black wings burst from his back as his skin turned a pale grey like an infection. His eyes glowed a bright yellow as he slowly ascended from the ground, rising slowly.

"It's over for ya, kid. He's gonna finish ya for good" Regis shrugged. "Your fighting ability _was_ entertaining… Oh well. Bye bye, now" he waved with a grin on his face.

"Battle! Corvus, attack Johnny Alvarez' **Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind**!" Corvx commanded as the fallen angel began to take flight. "It's over… _Aeternum vale_…" he whispered as the fallen angel's wings glowed with a malefic power.

"Trap activate, **Baton of the Hero**! With this card, I can redirect your attack to another Monster, and increase that Monster's Attack Points by 300. However if the Monster is destroyed by battle, I get to roll a die. If it lands from 1-6, I'm forced to Special Summon a Monster in my Deck with those Levels. However… if I roll a number, and a Level of that caliber is nowhere in my Deck… then I take damage equal to the result times 300!" Johnny declared as Jurrac Giganoto leaped in the way of the attack, and roared mightily.

Jurrac Giganoto: 2600 Attack

The mighty dinosaur was then destroyed by the gales of Corvus as immediately as it sprung into action to assist the other monster. "AHHHH!" Johnny yelled as the gusts of wind suddenly lashed at him, whipping and slicing at several of his body parts mercilessly.

"Hmph, foolish human… How far are you willing to go in order to protect those pathetic creatures? The mighty will always stand tall, and will be the one to win this battle of wits" Corvx narrowed his eyes.

Johnny: 100 Life Points

Jurrac Iguanon: 1300 Attack / 1200 Defense

"Heh… now to gamble it all away!" Johnny declared as a virtual die formed on the field. "I'm betting the rest of my chips on this one… come on, lady luck!" he called for luck as the die threw itself.

"Heh, gambling? I guess this is the most a human can do on their own…" Regis shrugged, grinning once again. He was interested in seeing the outcome of this battle between Johnny and Corvx, especially because he already knew that Corvx was going to win this Duel, regardless of Johnny's counterattacks.

The die rolled, and spun a little bit, slowly beginning to come to a stop. _Come on, lady luck, be on my side today… I'll take 2, 3, anything right now!_

_Come on, don't be a Number that Johnny doesn't have in his Deck!_ Crow bit the bottom of his lip as he watched Johnny's gambling.

"You've got this Johnny, don't let me see you lose by your own damn card!" Jack barked in retort to Johnny's current move.

"Heh, don't gotta tell me twice!" the die finally stopped, revealing the number four! "YES!" Johnny leaped for joy as he swiped a single Monster from his Deck. "Thanks to my Baton of the Hero's effect, I'll Special Summon my **Jurrac Plessie** straight out from my Deck!" he commanded as a plesiosaurus formed on the field, growling a little bit.

Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

"Turn End…" Corvx said before crossing his arms.

_Turn 5_

"It's… MY TURN!" Johnny drew his new card, and smiled at it. _Great one!_ "I'll now Special Summon my **Jurrac Balaur**! This card can only be Special Summoned when I control a "Jurrac" Tuner Monster on my side of the Field!" a long-bodied dinosaur with a really long tail appeared on the field with yellow scales along with a few blue hues and red around its own eyes. It looked almost like a chubby dragon, but it was indeed still a dinosaur.

Jurrac Balaur: 0 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 1

"Now, I'll activate his effect! Once per turn, I remove from play a single Jurrac in my graveyard in order to have it gain Levels equal to the removed monster!" Johnny instructed as Jurrac Velo's spirit appeared around the Balaur, and it roared mightily, slowly growing larger and fatter while the red aura around it brimmed with strength.

Jurrac Balaur: Level 5

"Next, I'll tune the Level 5 Jurrac Balaur to my Level 3 Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind!" Johnny commanded as three rings surrounded five orbs of light.

"Hmph, a Synchro Summon? It's to be expected, especially from a human who cannot fight back against someone like me…" Corvx crossed his arms, not even amused by Johnny's attempts at fighting back.

"_Darkened Gales, become the wings that fly fiercely from resolve_! Synchro Summon!" Johnny commanded as the light burst wide open, revealing a black dragon with large wings as it roared mightily with black feathers dancing all around it.

"Blackfeather Dragon!" Crow called out excitedly. "Good one, Johnny, great move!" Crow cheered.

Blackfeather Dragon: 2800 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 8

"Thanks to your Field Spell… I can draw one more card!" Johnny drew the new card. "Next up, I'll Tune the Level 4 Jurrac Plessie to my Level 4 Jurrac Iguanon!" he instructed as four rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! _Synchro Summon!" Johnny commanded as the light slowly burst, and red flames scattered all over the field!

"Wait… that chant…?" Jack looked at Johnny with his eyes widened in surprise. "Is he actually doing it?"

"Come out, Jack's Soul, **Red Demons Dragon**!" Johnny commanded mightily as the dragon soared, roaring with great might as it revealed its malefic, just awesome form!

Red Demons Dragon: 3000 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Thanks to your Field Spell… I'll draw for the second time!" Johnny placed his hand on top of his Deck. _Just one more card… I only need one more to finish this next combo… Come on, fellow Jurracs… answer my pleads!_ His birthmark suddenly glowed brightly as he was slowly drawing the card off the top of his deck. "Draw!" he drew his new card, and his green eyes looked to the card with hope.

"Hmph, using my own Field Spell to draw more cards? I can tell there is indeed a little bit of darkness within you, Johnny Alvarez…" Corvx noted with nonchalant interest.

"Heh, I got just what I needed from there! I'll play the spell card called **Pot of Avarice**! During this turn, I pick 5 Monsters in my graveyard and put them back into my Deck. Afterwards, I draw two cards!" the souls of Jurrac Giganoto, Jurrac Guaiba, Jurrac Iguanon, Blackwing – Gale the Whirlwind and Jurrac Balaur all appeared, and groaned as they put themselves into Johnny's Deck. "Now I draw two!" he drew the next two cards.

"This turn ain't over yet, Corvx! There's still more!" Johnny revealed a card in his hand. "I'll be playing the Spell Card called **Card Destruction**! With this, we take all cards in our hand, ditch'em, and then draw cards equal to what we lost!" Johnny held the two cards in his hand, and then ditched them. _Jurrac Aeolos, I'm glad you were here!_ He drew his next two cards, and smiled at them.

"Hmph, not much of a difference will be brought about…" Corvx ditched his hand, and drew one new card. "Delaying your inevitable loss will not assist you here, Johnny Alvarez. When will your turn be quite done with?" Corvx raised an eyebrow.

"I can see the ending, Corvx! This is going to end with me cheering "I'm the winner of this Duel"!" Johnny declared. "I'll activate **Rekindling**! Through this card's effect I can Special Summon as many FIRE-Attribute Monsters from my graveyard with 200 Defense!"

"Oh ho?" Corvx now seemed slightly interested.

"I'll bring back, from the graveyard, my two Jurrac Aeolo!" he commanded as two dinosaur hatchlings formed on the field, all of them crying in sight of the Fallen Angel of the Stars.

Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"I'll use the effects of both of my Aeolo! I Tribute them to Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Jurrac in the grave… be revived, **Jurrac Dino** and **Jurrac Plessie**!" the two dinosaurs appeared on the field, all of them growling as they were ready for a battle!

Jurrac Dino: 1700 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Jurrac Guaiba**!" Johnny commanded as the savage dinosaur appeared once more, growling as it readied itself for a battle in the darkness.

Jurrac Guaiba: 1700 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 4

"Now you have 5 Monsters… Interesting, but a very unintelligent move you've made, Johnny Alvarez. Your Monsters don't come close to scratching the surface of my Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus' strength. How soon will you realize that it is pointless to even dare _cross_ with my Fallen Angel…"

"You're wrong! I've still got… several moves to make!" Johnny declared as his Jurrac Guaiba and the Jurrac Plessie both roared in unison. "I'll Tune the Level 4 Jurrac Guaiba to the Level 4 Jurrac Plessie!" four rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact!_ Synchro Summon!" the light of the four rings and orbs exploded as flames danced all around the field. "Synchro Summon! Break, **Meteo-Rage Dragon**!" Johnny commanded as the flames scattered, revealing his Signer Dragon, his very ace card. The dragon roared mightily as it spread its wings, and the flames around it slowly died down.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Wooo! Good going, Johnny!" Crow cheered.

"Hmph, I could've done it better, but good show, Johnny" Jack grunted in respect for Johnny, not just as a Duelist, but as a Signer.

"Hm, so you managed to Summon your Signer Dragon along with these two…?" Corvx looked at the three dragons that Johnny gathered, along with that single dinosaur on his side of the Field. "It doesn't matter. Gathering Three Synchro Monsters, whether they be Signer Dragons or not, is nothing impressive" he crossed his arms. "Now, what will you do in this situation, Johnny Alvarez?"

"Easy! Battle!" Johnny commanded as his Meteo-Rage Dragon began to take flight. "Meteo-Rage Dragon, attack his **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus**!" he pointed at the target, and the dragon obeyed with a loud roar. It then dive bombed towards the Fallen Angel with flames charging in its mouth!

"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Johnny Alvarez?" Corvx asked, looking at Johnny nonchalantly. _Perhaps he has a trick up his sleeve? Now this I must watch…_ The dragon and fallen angel clashed, the flames of the dragon unable to scratch the fallen angel at all. The fallen angel then tore the flames in half, and dashed at Meteo-Rage Dragon!

"During the Damage Step, I use my Quick-Play Spell called **Rush Recklessly**! During this turn, my Meteo-Rage Dragon will gain 700 Attack Points!" Johnny fist pumped as the dragon's muscles suddenly expanded, and it clashed with Corvus once more. The dragon lifted Corvus up, almost ready to throw him into his death, but then…

"I'll activate the effect of my **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Corvus**! Once per turn, when an opponent activates a Spell/Trap that target's a card on the field I take a card in my hand and send it to the graveyard. Next, he negates and destroys the card in question!" Corvx smiled widely as his creature leaped out of Meteo-Rage Dragon's grip, and its muscles suddenly were lost.

"Wait… WHAT?" Johnny's eyes shot open as his Meteo-Rage Dragon crashed into Corvus' claws, ripping the dragon in half!

"Also, Johnny, don't think that your Life Points hitting 0 means anything… During this turn, _all_ of the opponent's Synchro Monsters must attack my Corvus!"

"W-what?" Johnny's Life Points shot down to zero, but there was no pain to feel, not just yet. It was almost as if Corvx were influencing Johnny's nerves to be numb until he'd allow them to feel the shock of three Monsters being destroyed!

"Come, Blackfeather Dragon, Red Demons Dragon!" Corvx couldn't help but to smile like a madman as the two dragons launched their attacks, but were immediately either cut down, and gutted in half by the merciless fallen angel. The two dragons roared as they shattered to pixels, and Johnny screamed loudly, loud enough for his shrill screams to echo through The Void!

"Heh, nice one, Corvus… I actually thought that the kid had you on the ropes" Regis applauded with a grin over his face. He knew that Corvx would win; he just didn't want to say it and make himself sound sappy.

"It doesn't matter if he had me or not… Fate will not grant him victory as he is" Corvx turned to Johnny who had an empty look in his eyes. He appeared hollowed out, and appeared to be severely hurt from all the damage he took throughout the duration of the Duel.

"So, Corvus, gonna let him leave this place now?"

"No. When one loses in The Void, and dies as well… their life belongs to this darkness" Corvx answered before turning away, walking towards the dim light in the center of what was no longer 'just' a Field Spell.

Regis whistled, watching as Johnny's Signer Birthmark slowly faded away, no longer producing light as if it were life itself. "Oh well. Good going, kid, you got yourself killed before The Twilight could come close to happening…" he sighed. "Man, this'll be tough to explain to Iblis…" he began to walk behind Corvx, heading his way towards the dim light.

"JOHNNY!" Crow yelled.

"JOHNNY!" Jack yelled as well. The two were trying to get something out of Johnny's hollowed body, but there was nothing they could do. Finally, the Signer Mark's glow vanished, and he began to slowly sink into the darkness of the new world that surrounded him.

"JOHNNY!"

"JOHNNY!" it was too late. No cries for help, no cries for some form of salvation. The Signer was silenced, once and for all.

"This is it…" Johnny whispered as his heartbeats were becoming slower and duller. "This is where it all ends for me, eh?" his line of sight was slowly become blurrier with each passing second. The souls of The Void began to moan and groan again, blocking out the cries of Jack and Crow who were trying to snap him out of his current state. "Am I dead? Am I still alive and suffering?" he asked in a whisper as the souls of The Void continued to moan and scream. As he stood there to question his current standing, the darkness was slowly sucking Johnny into itself, intending on making him part of The Void. His Dragon's Wings Birthmark suddenly shone with a faint light as he was sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness. He had already been knee-deep into the darkness by the time the birthmark became just a patch of red skin again. "Fighting is pointless… I've lost the Duel against Corvx… and even with Jack and Crow's Dragons…" his line of sight finally became completely blurry, and the moans and screams of the souls had become pure silence.

All life, if any, around him became silence, like the darkness itself. All the blurred colors became bland and boring, so Johnny closed his eyes, attempting to listen to his heartbeat slowly fading. No, he could feel it, but it was silent. _Ba-dump… Ba… dump…_ He simulated the sound of his heartbeat through his thoughts. "Ba… dump…" he whispered with his weakened voice.

"JOHNNY!" Crow called out, but to no true avail.

"JOHNNY, YOU BETTER SNAP OUT OF THIS… NOW!" Jack demanded to no real avail.

Johnny was now neck-deep into the darkness, and his voice had become mute. The heartbeat he thought he could feel was no longer there; it was now just emptiness in his chest. He just couldn't feel anything at all. Was there still a single heartbeat within him? His lifeless eyes continued looking up at the darkness, as if he couldn't help but to stare blankly. Finally, the dim light of The Void suddenly vanished, along with Johnny himself.

* * *

"What the?" Yusei's Signer Mark suddenly flared to life, but it had a dim light, almost as if there were a dim pulse to Dragon Head birthmark. "Johnny… fought?" his eyebrow was raised as he tried to translate the message of the Crimson Dragon.

Rose looked at the mark of the Dragon's Tail on her arm, and her apathetic look remained on her face. _Hmph, the fool got himself killed I see…_ "That idiot…" was all she said as she crossed her arms, glaring in the other direction now.

"W-what's going on?" Arianna questioned, staring at her Signer Mark. She had no clue what was going on, nor could she translate the message that the Crimson Dragon was transmitting to everyone. _Yusei looks grim… could it be that someone with our mark… died?_ "Erm… Yusei…?" she took a few steps to Yusei, about to ask him the question before Yusei looked at the sky with what appeared to be dramatic rage.

"Fallen Angels of the Stars, whatever you are… You've gone too far!" Yusei yelled at the sky, as if that would make a difference. "You've taken away another friend of mine… First Jack, and now Johnny?" he took a few steps forward as he raised his Duel Disk.

"Calm down, it's not like they can hear your cries of despair every time they kill off one of your friends." Rose rolled her eyes at Yusei's reaction.

"Calm down? How can I calm down when all of my bonds are being cut one by one!" Yusei looked at Rose with a hateful reaction.

"Yes I said 'calm down', do you really think raging will allow your friend to return to this side of existence?" Rose couldn't help but to chuckle a little bit. "Remember, Yusei Fudo, I too lost someone… I can't care anymore if anyone else I know dies" she shrugged.

"Rose, Yusei, come on, let's calm down now" Arianna tried to settle the heated discussion between the two.

"Stay out of this!" Yusei demanded.

"Yusei, relax, okay? I'm not too happy about Johnny dying neither, but you don't see me trying to rage at everyone around me!" Arianna argued, standing for herself at this very moment. "Yusei, just relax! We'll come up with a way to get them back… but for now, it isn't worth fighting your own friends!"

"How would you know what it's like to lose a close friend! Jack was my best friend back when we were kids… Johnny was a close friend of mine despite that we met under some unfortunate circumstances!" Yusei yelled, taking a step closer to Arianna. "They're all friends of mine… and they're gone! For all I know, something else happened to Crow too!"

Arianna bit her bottom lip, looking at her medical bag. _I don't usually do this kind of stuff, but Yusei really needs it right now…_ Arianna opened her bag, and pulled out a cloth with a bottle of mystery. She poured the mysterious liquid onto the napkin. It reeked of what almost smelled like alcohol, but it wasn't at the same time. It was quite strong and viciously unidentifiable for that.

"What are yo—" Arianna stuck the cloth over Yusei's face, forcefully making him breathe it.

"It's just some chloroform, I need you to relax Yusei… I'm sorry!" Arianna tried to apologize at the last second as Yusei was slowly losing consciousness, enough for his raging to be minimized, if not completely neutralized.

"Hmph, you've got some guts, kid" Rose seemingly complimented Arianna for just that moment.

"E-Er… thanks?" Arianna kept Yusei's head on her medical bag while she sighed in relief. "That'll keep him for about… a half an hour? It's just enough to let him at least dream of something..." she scratched the back of her head. "So... uh... what do we do?"

"You sit here and wait while I look for something..." Rose answered with a frown.

"Hmph, what fools..." someone muttered in the background, seemingly watching the two of them. _You don't seriously plan on taking on Signers, do you?_ a voice spoke out, echoing in her mind. "Yes, yes I do..." the female spoke with a smirk on her concealed face. Hiding in the alleyway was a single girl, and what she was planning was just a mystery.

* * *

Author's Note: I hate myself, my story, and most the people I know with the exclusion of select people. (Babe, if you're reading this, then you know I don't hate you. xD) . . . Trollolols, just kidding, I like how I'm doing this story right now, to be honest with all of you~

Disclaimer: Yatta yatta yatta, you know the drill, I don't own 5D's.


	6. Asundered Heavens, Torn Earth: Andromeda

"Foolish Signers!" a voice called out, turning the attention of both Arianna and Rose to the source of where the voice came from. Their eyes met with a young lady of about 23 years, or perhaps less. She had long blond hair which matched her light green eyes strangely. She wore a black singlet with a pair of jeans. The black singlet appeared to reveal her chest, and compliment her blond hair.

"Just who the hell are you?" Rose asked, unfazed by the sudden appearance of the girl that appeared to be antagonizing them.

"I am a Fallen Angel of the Constellation, here to hunt down the enemy Signers! I'm so glad to have found not just one, but _three_ Signers! One's knocked out, so it'll be easy pickings! So, which one of you girls are going to Duel me?" Laura asked with a wide smile on her face. Her blond hair waved with the breeze, but it didn't make her statements any bit less threatening.

"Fine then, I'll take you down. I needed to settle my business with you bastards anyway." Rose stood up as her Duel Disk had activated, but Arianna stood in front of Rose and placed a hand in front of her.

"I'm sorry, but… let me do this" Arianna said almost pleadingly. She seemed like she wanted to be the one to defeat Laura, but for what reason?

"Stay out of my way… You know as well as I do that I can take her down in no less than two turns anyway…" Rose said bitterly as she clenched her fists. She was waiting for Arianna to step out of the way, and was growing impatient at this point. "If you don't, I'll guarantee I'm not taking care of this one here," she pointed at Yusei before looking at Arianna again.

"I just… I want to do this, for Johnny at least! I can't just idly stand by and let the people around me get hurt!" Arianna spoke back with intent behind her voice. "I refuse to, everyone is either dying or getting hurt. It's about time I step up and fight!"

"You told me that you absolutely suck at Dueling, how are you sure that you'll be of any use right now? A Signer is useless when they're dead, they're only useful when they're alive and kicking" Rose glared at Arianna. "Are you implying that you can win a battle against someone of her caliber, someone possessed by a Fallen Angel of the Stars?"

"Well… I don't know that just yet…" Arianna looked away from Rose, but she held her hand over her heart. She clenched that fist tightly and then looked at Rose with thoughts of Johnny. "I'll… take her down! Besides, I'm not alone in that Duel with her anyway…" she smiled before looking down at her Deck.

"Fine then, whatever… If Yusei wakes up, I can tell him you're dead, right?"

"Sure."

"Whatever then, good luck, and all that other bull crap you people say to each other."

"I know you mean better than that" Arianna nodded at Rose before taking several steps towards Laura. _I can't let the Duel be so close to those two… I'll have to move this battle somewhere else, if I know where this is going to go…_ "Come with me, Laura!" she declared as she immediately began to make a move, running for an area that was at least several city miles away from where Yusei and Rose were. _Come on, legs!_ She picked up the pace, running faster than she'd ever imagined, but this was mainly her own adrenaline heightening her senses, and increasing her strength temporarily.

"Hmph, idiot…" Rose muttered as she watched Laura chase behind Arianna in no time. Soon, the two were out of her line of sight, and then her attention turned to Yusei. "This dumbass needs to wake up…" she felt like spitting on him for being so feeble-minded. _He's weak… He is angered when his friends die? What kind of man cries over something so minor?_ She crossed her arms as she remembered her Duel with Johnny, remembering all of what he said. _Am I simply being uncaring and insensitive?_ She shook her head. "There's no need for thoughts like that, what the hell was I thinking? What the hell did that Johnny do to me?" she muttered as her thoughts conflicted with themselves.

"Johnny hurry your ass up and be revived… I feel like we need to settle our score, once and for all" was all Rose had to say before she looked at the sky with a sour look on her face.

* * *

"This should be just fine…" Arianna looked around, noticing that she was in what appeared to be an abandoned portion of New Domino. Many signs were covered with "For Rent" or "Closed For Business", which meant that no one would be around at the moment. She sighed in relief "I guess she can go all out here without me worrying about other people…"

"Hmph, you sure are a weird kid," Laura said as she appeared before Arianna in the blink of an eye. "No matter how far you run, no matter how much you hide in the light, the darkness will always find you. Judgment will descend, for that is what we Fallen Angels of the Stars do; we reign judgment upon your race to see how 'pure' you are."

"If you're so 'pure', then why are you 'fallen angels'?" Arianna raised an eyebrow.

"Only because we descend from the heavens, therefore we are 'fallen'."

"Who told you that, your boss?"

"Leave God out of this."

"That isn't God if he's asking you to destroy his creations!"

"He felt that his creations are obsolete, human!" Laura roared as anger appeared in her dark brown eyes. Her eyes shifted into a hazel brown, stained with the anger of the Fallen Angel that possessed her body.

"What, feeling angry that I'm telling you the truth? A real god is benevolent, he would never kill an entire human race in order to 'cleanse' them of their sins!" Arianna argued back. She seemed to be firm on her beliefs, and it seemed that she wouldn't be considered otherwise.

"Oh really? Then what about the story of Noah's Ark? Our God did it, he flooded the world after giving Noah the secrets to live on and repopulate the Earth!"

"Not worth believing. What God would really only give that secret to _one_ person? He should've told all the humans back then and then they would've had their chance at survival."

"But back then, you humans were full of Minus Momentum. Your hearts created the Minus Energy, and thus forced God's hand!"

"Please, Momentum was never even thought of back then!"

"Silly human…" Laura began to giggle as she covered her face with her hand. "You silly humans believe that you aren't evil, right? What a sick joke!"

"We have our moments where we're evil, but that gives no right to k—"

"Then you admit to your kind being evil! Your evil brought about Minus Energy unlike anything God had ever seen, so he decreed that we descend to cleanse the human race! You cannot deny the evil in your hearts, human!"

"There no evil, especially if we can evolve! We won't just sit back idly and let ourselves rot like this… We can fight, we can stand, and we can evolve!"

"Oh? And when will that be? Will it be done **after** the next Zero Reverse happens and wipes out all of you in this city?"  
"I… I don't know…" Arianna was unable to answer back on that one. She had no clue how to, especially since she'd never seen the actual Zero Reverse for herself.

"Now, be quiet… the time for talking has ended!" the possessed human raised her disk, revealing what appeared to be the same Duel Disk that Akiza had used in her Duel against Yusei. Black feathers descended from the sky, surrounding the two in a circular formation.

_I knew this was coming… Now all damage, even the Monsters, will be made reality so long as we're in this Field. Fine then, I can play the death game too, I just need to win!_ Arianna raised her disk as well, and it invoked almost automatically. Both their Decks shuffled, and the two shouted "DUEL!"  
Arianna: 4000

Laura: 4000

_Turn 1_

"I'll take the first move, draw!" Arianna immediately drew her new card, and added it to her opening hand. "First, I'll Normal Summon my **Naturia Cliff**!" she commanded as a strange rock formed on the field with a grunt. The red bush atop its head wiggled with mystery as the rock grunted once more, staring at Laura with its large eyes.

Naturia Cliff: 1500 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"Hmph, what do you hope to gain by summoning such a pathetic creature onto the Field?" Laura crossed her arms, looking at the cards in her opening hand.

"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!" Arianna instructed.

"Fine then, human!"

_Turn 2_

"Draw!" Laura drew her new card, and grinned. "First, I'll start off by playing the Continuous Spell known as **Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen**!" she commanded as pillars rose all around her, and created what appeared to be a ruined shrine behind her. "Now, because I don't control Monsters… I can Special Summon a Fairy lying in my hand!" she revealed a single Monster card in her hand. "I'll Special Summon **The Agent of Wonder – Jupiter**!" an orange-skinned male angel formed on the field, holding books as he grunted and look at Naturia Cliff.

The Agent of Wonder – Jupiter: 1800 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 4

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **The Agent of Mystery – Earth**!" a blue angel formed on the field next to the orange one, giggling as her existence was shaded in a dark blue.

The Agent of Mystery – Earth: 1000 Defense | 1000 Attack | Level 2 | Tuner

"Two Monsters on the Field already?" Arianna revealed a single Monster card in her hand. "When you Normal Summon, I can Special Summon my **Naturia Cosmobeet**!" she commanded as the small brown plant appeared on the field.

Naturia Cosmobeet: 1000 Defense | 1000 Attack | Level 2 | Tuner

"Hmph, oh well… Battle!" Laura pointed at the Naturia Cliff. "Attack that pathetic creature, **Heaven Dance**!" the male angel took flight, rapidly ascending into the sky.

"Naturia Cliff, defend yourself! Trap activates!" Arianna clicked the button, and a Trap flipped open from one of her two facedown cards. "**Defense Wall**! When a player attacks a Rock-type Monster, I can reduce the damage to either player to zero!" a barrier appeared around both Arianna and Laura.

"Hmph, oh well, looks like you'll be avoiding damage for this turn" Laura shook her head as the angel descended upon the Naturia Cliff and slashed it in half with the book it was holding! The Naturia Cliff grunted in pain as it shattered to pieces.

"I'll activate his effect! If he's sent to the graveyard, I can Special Summon a Naturia in my Deck!" she revealed a single one in her Deck. "I'll Special Summon my **Naturia Spiderfang**!" a yellow spider appeared on the field, looking almost sad as it plopped itself right onto its web.

Naturia Spiderfang: 2100 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 4

"Hmph… I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

_Turn 3_

"Draw!" Arianna drew her new card, and then examined the current field. _At this point, I think I have the advantage… especially with my upcoming Monster…_ She looked at her Extra Deck and nodded her head. "I'll Tune the Level 4 Naturia Spiderfang to my Level 2 Naturia Cosmobeet!"

"A Synchro Summon, huh? Why am I not surprised, human?" Laura asked, crossing her arms.

"_Protecting the world with the power given to you by Mother Nature, aid me now! Come to me, please!"_ two rings surrounded four orbs of light as sounds of resonance could be heard. The ground sprouted with flowers as a pollen-like powder began to spread out onto the field. "Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, **Naturia Barkion**!" the light of the Synchro Summon slowly began to vanish, revealing a long dragon that appeared to be completely made of wood, and yet it curled majestically. The dragon roared as it then looked at the two angels standing before it.

Naturia Barkion: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"Nice, nice, nice!" Laura began to laugh as her trap flipped open. "I'll activate my **Angel Steps** Trap! With this, if an opponent Special Summons a Monster… the Monster is then destroyed!"

"Sorry, but my Naturia Barkion has a Special Effect! When a Trap Card is activated… I can remove from play 2 Cards in the graveyard to Negate it and destroy it!"

"Two… from the graveyard you say?" Laura's eyes shot open.

"However, that's not the only effect activating! I also activate the effect of **Naturia Rock** from my hand!" she revealed the Monster card. "When a Trap is activated, I can take the Top Card of my Deck and send it to the graveyard to Special Summon him!" Arianna took the top card of her Deck and sent it to the graveyard. _Good, she works in the graveyard!_ A rock appeared on the field with large, bug eyes that made it cuter.

Naturia Rock: 1200 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 3

"Tch…" Laura took her Trap card and sent it into the graveyard as Arianna took two cards in her discard pile to remove from play.

"Now I'll Normal Summon my **Naturia Tulip**!" she commanded as a red rose appeared on the field with a large grin on its face.

Naturia Tulip: 600 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Another Tuner Monster, huh?"

"I'll Tune the Level 3 Naturia Rock to the Level 2 Naturia Tulip!" Arianna commanded as two rings surrounded three orbs of light, and Naturia Barkion roared mightily. The flowers around her field grew exponentially, becoming her personal garden as roars of a lion could be heard.

_This girl believes she can win through creatures as pathetic as them. Well, she's dead wrong… I'll put her in her place next turn…_Laura looked at a single card in her hand, smiling wickedly.

"_Protecting the world with the power that Mother Nature rewarded you, show your courage and protect the deity of the forest!"_Arianna chanted as the light of the Synchro Summon slowly began to fade, leaving pollen-like dust to spread out around the Field. "Synchro Summon! Pounce, **Naturia Beast**!" a green tiger with wooden legs and regular paws appeared on the field with a mighty roar. Its red eyes revealed calmness, and yet a will to fight for what's right. The tiger-like Naturia roared once more, and Naturia Barkion also roared.

Naturia Beast: 2200 Attack / 1700 Defense | Level 5

"Next, I'll play the Field Spell called **Naturia Forest**!" she commanded as the field around them transformed into a forest-like area. "Battle! Naturia Beast will attack The Agent of Mystery – Earth, and Naturia Barkion attacks The Agent of Wonder – Jupiter!" she commanded as the tiger pounced on the angel, making it screech as the two were locked in battle. The angel screamed as the tiger finally bit its arm off, and it shattered into tiny pixels. The tiger roared as it spat out the bloody arm of the angel, and it too shattered into pixels. The dragon rammed into the orange angel, making him grunt and yell in pain as he shattered to pixels. Some blood splattered on Laura's cheek, but she didn't care.

Laura grinned, wiping the blood of her angel off her cheek. "Are you quite finished, or do you wish to persist?" she crossed her arms, only grinning.

"Turn… end…" Arianna bit her lip.

Laura: 3300

_Turn 4_

"My turn!" Laura drew her new card, and then pointed at the background around her. "I activate the effect of my **Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen**!"

"I activate the effect of my Naturia Beast! By taking two cards from the Top of my Deck and sending them into the graveyard… I can negate a Spell Card and destroy it!" Arianna commanded as she took two cards from the top of her deck and placed them into her discard pile.

"Tch…" the tiger roared with authority as the entire background behind Laura shattered epically, leaving a landslide of rocks to fall all behind Laura. "Hmph…"

"Now the effect of my Field Spell! When I negate an opponent's Monster, Spell, or Trap Card's effect, I can add a Level 3 or Lower Naturia Monster to my hand!" she revealed the one she added to her hand. "I'll add **Naturia Rosewhip** to my hand" Arianna revealed the added Monster card to Laura.

"Hmph, so it seems you have me all locked down… That Naturia Barkion can Negate a Trap Card by simply removing from play two cards in your hand, while that Naturia Beast can feed your effect by simply taking the top two cards of your Deck in order to negate and destroy a Spell Card. One would be convinced that they're surely defeated…."

"That's the power of my Naturias: binding. I bind the opponent with their effects, and then make it so they don't have any real options to go with… By controlling the opponent, you've effectively won! I learned that from my friend back at home." _Jared, I hope you're watching me from wherever you are… This is… my power!_

"Oh well, Signer… It won't work with me!"

"What?"

"First, I'll activate the effect of my **Zeradia, Herald of Heaven**!" Laura took the Monster from her hand and ditched it into her discard pile. "Next up, I add **The Sanctuary in the Sky** to my hand!" she added the Field Spell card to her hand. "Next, I remove from play my own **The Agent of Mystery – Earth** in order to bring about…" she revealed the card in her hand as a portal swallowed The Agent of Mystery – Earth. "I'll Special Summon **Master Hyperion**!" an orange light exploded as the forest area around both her and Arianna suddenly faded to a lighter color, and yet the sky suddenly turned pitch-black.

Master Hyperion: 2800 Attack / 2100 Defense | Level 8

"I don't see your Monster…" Arianna looked around, trying to locate the apparent threat.

"Look behind you…"

Arianna turned around, seeing a giant deity that appeared to be observing Arianna from behind! "W-what kind of-!"

"You're now in Master Hyperion's domain… He is an angel that has ascended beyond being a mere 'angel', he has power equal to that of a God's!"

"An angel with equal power to God? No way in hell is that possible, only one tried that and he was locked in Hell for all eternity!"

"Human, your knowledge of the divine is very limited… You, as a being of the earth, can only understand what your precious Mother Nature tells you, but she isn't there. You hear her, and try to protect the earth for no real cause, human. This is why you're obsolete…" Laura pointed at the two Synchro Monsters in Arianna's possession. "Those pitiful creatures are a creation of your foolish evolution, something that wasn't necessary. We didn't think that you'd go so far as to create such abominable creatures…."

"Synchro Monsters are a sign of our evolution, they're proof of it!"

"A Synchro Monster is only to make things easier, and thus make these games 'faster'… but with a simple Synchro Summon, you're disturbing the Momentum around you! The Momentum below you! You'll even disturb the Momentum beyond this planet!" Laura argued before a smirk stitched across her lips.

"Beyond… this planet…?"

"Yes, beyond this planet. A Synchro Summon manipulates the Momentum, no matter where it is. It sends out signals, and thus atmospherically disrupts the Momentum leading into space, the doorstep of the divine."

"What the…?" Arianna looked at both Naturia Barkion and Naturia Beast. "You mean… they're… what's killing us…?"

"Yes. Synchro Monsters are what will be the death of you in the future… Yusei Fudo may have stopped the Emperors of Yliaster from wiping out the existence of New Domino City… but that doesn't mean Yliaster is gone forever. Yliaster is an organization that has been around since the very beginning! We have been here ever since the very first generation of Signer Dragons warred against the Earthbound Gods!" Laura pointed at herself almost angrily. "You Signers will never understand that if we cannot do our job successfully, your future will remain to be grim!"

Arianna took in those words like a tough pill. She didn't know what to say, seeing as almost half her beliefs in the human race were being shattered right before her mind. "We're… not saving the future…? We're just causing the destruction to come…?" she questioned, looking at her hands that committed two Synchro Summons on her own turn. "We humans… are at fault…? No…" she bit her bottom lip and clenched her fists tightly. "No way! It is our fault, yes, but we can change!"

"Humans cannot change, it is too late! You have been on this destructive path ever since the Garden of Eden and the first two humans! Do you think you can erase the original sin of man, when it has reached to an irreparable state of critical health!"

"It doesn't matter! In a time of crisis… when our loved ones are in danger…" Arianna thought of Johnny, Rose, Crow, Jack, and Yusei, "we won't give up! We'll evolve, and develop a new way to keep ourselves from destruction!" Her fists trembled as those words came out of her mouth, and then she looked at the angel behind them. "It doesn't matter what you are… if you're her Ace Monster, I'll take you down! You better believe that!"

"Haha! That's a funny thing to hear from a daughter of Nature… How about this? I'll try to convince our God to hold off on the war against the humans, just in time for you to recover your forces and find your last two Signers, but that's ONLY if you manage to reduce my Life Points to 0."

"And if I lose?"

"Then you die, and join your fellow Signer and friends in the Void…" Laura grinned.

_There's too much hanging in the balance here…_ "I'll accept to those terms!"

"Fine then, human, it looks like the third battle against the human race has been settled upon!" a single spirit appeared from the ground, appearing to look like The Agenty of Wonder – Jupiter.

"Huh?" Arianna cocked an eyebrow.

"This is Master Hyperion's effect… I remove from play a LIGHT-Attribute Fairy in my graveyard to annihilate a single card on your Field!" Laura pointed at Naturia Beast as if she were an archer. "I think I'll just blow that guy up!" the spirit moaned as he transformed into an arrow and flew towards Master Hyperion. The giant angel then lifted his arms, revealing an artificial solar system that appeared to have been missing several components to it. As Jupiter flew towards the artificial Solar System, an orange orb formed a few spaces away from where the sun was located.

"What is going on here…?" Arianna questioned as an orange light shot from the orb of orange! The light pierced Naturia Beast and it shattered into multiple pixels instantly!

"Now that he's off the Field, I can play my Field Spell called **The Sanctuary in the Sky**!" the forest area completely shattered, along with the giant image of Master Hyperion. Replacing the forest-like area was what appeared to be a gigantic cloud that lay overhead, the moon shining brightly upon it. The cloud somewhat lowered itself upon the two, revealing to Arianna a shrine-like building on it which spoke nothing but divinity to it. Suddenly, a smaller version of Master Hyperion appeared on top of it, crossing his arms as he stood in front of the shrine. He glowed with power as the artificial solar system was still laying before him. "It's over for your little tricks! I activate Master Hyperion's Monster Effect once more!"

"Wait… what? I thought it was only once per turn!" Arianna argued.

"Oh? Hahaha, you thought my Master Hyperion was subject to such a stupid restriction? No, his effect is… when this Field Spell is on the Field, he can use his effect twice!" the spirit of Zeradia rose from the ground, gathering in Master Hyperion's hands.

The energy in Master Hyperion's hands swirled around and it finally shot, stitching across the air between Master Hyperion and Naturia Barkion. The mighty dragon roared as the energy arrow pierced through it. "B-Barkion!" Arianna shouted, but the mighty dragon slowly fell to the ground, it's long body growing limp as the wound bled all over the flowers around her. The dragon roared weakly and the flowers had begun to wilt. Naturia Barkion roared once more and it then shattered into miniature pixels.

"There goes your Monster… and now for you to go too…" Laura revealed yet another Monster card in her hand. "I'll now Normal Summon **The Agent of Force – Mars**!" she instructed as a red-skinned angel appeared on the field, flames encircling the angel as it shouted a loud battle cry.

The Agent of Force – Mars: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 4

"A zero attack point Monster…?" Arianna observed.

"Yes, but he is unimportant for now… Master Hyperion, attack the girl directly! _Divinity Nova_!" she commanded as the titan pointed a single finger at Arianna. Suddenly, nine orbs of light surrounded Arianna, and enclosed on her.

"What the… AHHHH!" she screamed suddenly as the damage was shocking her in reality. "T-Trap Activate!" she clicked the button, revealing her face-down card. "**Natural Balance**! With this card… I can halve all battle Damage I take this turn!" she instructed as the painful intensity had slowly begun to die down a little bit. Her heart rushed as the energy shock finally faded away. _T-this is what real damage feels like… I can't blame Yusei for warning us to be careful when we Duel a Fallen Angel…_

Arianna: 2600

"Now, Mars, attack her directly! _Planet of Flames_!" Laura commanded with a sadistic smile on her face as the red-skinned angel took flight.

"Wait, but he has zero attack points…"

"Look again!"

The Agent of Force – Mars: 700

"W-what? He has 700 Attack Points?" Arianna's eyes widened in surprise as the red-skinned angel shouted a mighty battle cry and his wings unfolded with pure majesty. Red flames surrounded his fists as he took towards the sky, staring down at Arianna with an eagle-like stare.

"_Majesty Flames_!" Laura commanded with a laugh. The angel dive-bombed towards Arianna, and his wings beat with strength as he was approaching closer and closer to her.

"AHHHH!" she attempted to escape out of the way as the angel neared her. The angel flew right past her, but the flames caught onto her sleeve!

Arianna: 2250

"Can you feel the despair, child?" Laura asked with that sadistic smirk on her face.

Arianna panted heavily as the flames on her arm slowly died out, leaving her scarred with a minor burn to her flesh. "N-not yet… I won't lose… During the end the of the Battle Phase where I used Natural Half, I draw cards equal to the times I took Battle Damage!" she placed her hand on top of her deck, and flinched. Her flesh was still very sensitive, because a burn was still a burn. _I have to hold out… Johnny has taken far worse, and yet he continued fighting for us… Yusei too… Jack, Crow… Rose… I won't… I won't be useless! Not anymore!_ Arianna swiped the two cards off the top of her Deck, and her eyes peeked at what she drew. _Here it is! The part of my strategy that I need!_

Master Hyperion: 2800 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

The Agent of Force – Mars: 1050 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 4

"I end my turn, girl."

_Turn 5_

"It's… my turn!" Arianna drew her new card, and then revealed it. "I'll Normal Summon my **Naturia Pumpkin**!" she commanded as a green plant appeared on the field, grinning. "Naturia Pumpkin's Monster Effect! When he's Normal Summoned, during this turn, I can Special Summon a Naturia in my hand! Reveal yourself, **Naturia Cosmobeet**!" she commanded as a black seedling appeared on the field.

"Hmph, you're constantly summoning weaklings…. Are you sure you're suited for Dueling, or are you trying to prove something?"

"There's still more! My turn… won't end… not yet!" Arianna's discard pile glowed as her Signer Mark flared a little bit. "I won't give up… for the sake of my friends!" she revealed the Monster in her graveyard. "I activate the effect of my **Naturia Rubies**! When a Naturia is Special Summoned from the hand, I can send the top card of my Deck into the graveyard to Special Summon this one from the graveyard!" the spirit of a pair of red roses appeared onto the field, cheering.

Naturia Rubies: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1

"I'll Tune the Level 1 Naturia Rubies, Level 4 Naturia Pumpkin, and my Level 2 Naturia Cosmobeet!" she instructed as five orbs of light aligned with two green rings. "_Gifted with the power entrusted by Mother Nature, fight those who dare oppose the law of the natural!_" she chanted as the light exploded.

"Hmph, another Synchro Summon… One day, you'll realize why they're so despicable…"

"Synchro Summon! Come out, **Naturia Landoise**!" a large turtle of stone appeared on the field with several shrubs all over its head and back. The turtle groaned as it cracked it's neck.

Naturia Landoise: 2350 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 7

"Now, Naturia Rubies' effect activates in the graveyard! When I use it for a Synchro Summon of a "Naturia" Monster, I draw one more card!" she swiped a new card from the top of her Deck. Arianna looked at it, and her eyes shot open. _This card… Thanks to me having Naturia Landoise on the Field… I can turn this around!_ "Battle! Naturia Landoise attacks **The Agent of Force – Mars**!" the turtle groaned as several insects shot out from the shrubs all over it. The insects engulfed The Agent of Force, and it burst to pixels.

"Shouldn't you have taken Damage?" Arianna questioned, noticing that Laura's Life Point parameter never shifted from that attack.

"The Sanctuary in the Sky isn't bound to inferior things like the earth… When a Fairy is involved in battle, the controlling player takes no damage" Laura answered almost monotonously. She crossed her arms, "Are you quite done yet?" she immediately glared at Arianna.

"T-Turn End…" Arianna answered.

_Turn 6_

"My turn!" Laura drew her new card, and then looked at Arianna. "I activate Master Hyperion's Monster Effect! Onc—I mean**Twice** per turn, I can remove a single LIGHT Fairy-type Monster to eliminate one card on the opponent's Field… I'll rid you of your Naturia Landoise!" a red energy shot up from the graveyard, looking a lot like The Agent of Force – Mars. On Master Hyperion's miniature Solar System, a red planet formed nearby Earth.

"That won't work with me!" Arianna revealed a Spell Card in her hand. "I use Naturia Landoise's Monster Effect! When you activate the effect of a Monster… I send a Spell from my hand to the graveyard to Negate and Destroy the opponent's Monster!" the stony turtle groaned as vines shot out from its shrubs!

"Nice try, but I was one step ahead of you!"

"W-What?"

"I activate the effect of my **Herald of Orange Light**! By sending this, and another Fairy from my hand to the graveyard… I can negate and destroy an opponent's Monster Effect!" Laura laughed as she took the two and pitched them into her discard pile. An orange light wrapped around Naturia Landoise, suddenly shattering the vines and the turtle began to yell in pain.

"N-Naturia Landoise!" Arianna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Say goodbye…" Laura smirked as Naturia Landoise shattered into tiny pebbles and then the pebbles shattered into tinier pixels. "It's over… Master Hyperion, attack the enemy player directly! Finish it!"

"I'll activate the last effect of my **Naturia Rubies**! By removing her from play, along with a Naturia in the graveyard, only while I'm being attacked directly and I control no other cards on my Field… I can regain Life Points equal to half the attack of the removed Monster, and you take damage equal to it's full power! I'll remove **Naturia Mantis**!"

"Hmph, so that's your backup?" Laura began to chuckle as the spirit of a mantis appeared onto the Field, and leaped at her with its sword-like arms. The mantis slashed at her, but it passed through her as if nothing happened. "How desperately pathetic, human… I can guess that was supposed to be your ace in the hole, had your Landoise succeeded and I decided to summon my Fallen Angel?"

Laura: 1500

Arianna silently nodded her head while biting her bottom lip. _She's reading my every move like a real expert. I mean, _Master Hyperion grunted as the titan flung a large ray of energy bolts at Arianna.

Arianna immediately tried to avoid several of them with the best flexibility she could offer her body, but several arrows brazed past her limbs, leaving a few clean cuts on her skin that stung a little bit for the adolescent girl. "Ugh…" she whined in pain as she avoided one more, feeling some relief with her pain.

Arianna: 200

"Hmph, lucky little girl…" Laura crossed her arms. "I activate the Spell in my hand called **Mercy**. With this, I draw one more card by giving you the chance to regain 1000 Life Points" she instructed as she drew her new card, and then smiled at it. "Turn End."

Arianna: 1350

_Turn 7_

"It's my turn!" Arianna drew her new card, and then peeked at it with a smile on her face. "First, I'll remove from play my **Rock Defense** to activate it's second effect! When this card's second effect is activated, the opponent takes 500 points of damage for each Rock-type in my graveyard! I have two of them, so, you take 1000!" rocks suddenly went flying towards Laura!

Laura sighed and raised her arms, watching the rocks as they were approaching her. Immediately, she swung her arm, knocking them both away with sheer force. "Are you quite finished, human?"

Laura: 500

"Almost there! I'll activate the Spell card in my hand called **Natural Life**! By taking 5 Naturia Monsters in my graveyard and return them to my Deck, I draw two cards! However, if there are Synchro Monsters with "Naturia" in their names are returned to the Extra Deck by this effect, I draw 1 one more card!" Arianna placed her three Synchro Monsters and two Monsters into their proper places. Her deck immediately shuffled, and then she stared at her empty hand. _Come on, Deck… don't fail me!_

"Hmph, so you recycled your Synchro Monsters… I don't see a point, if you want me to be bluntly honest. All you've done is just make yourself more of a target for my Master Hyperion to destroy…"

"Synchro Monsters aren't pointless, they're still a sign of human evolution!"

"If they were, then how come you're so reliant on it that you haven't created the next best thing?"

"It requires time and energy, something you're not letting us do" Arianna answered.

"You humans are too slow, you're all below average…" Laura spat before glaring at Arianna with disgust. "You think that humans can evolve after becoming so stuck on Synchro Summons? I've seen the future, and it's bleak for all of you…" she said, clenching her fist tightly. Suddenly, an aura appeared around her with dark wings that unfolded, almost as if the spirit of the Fallen Angel within her was about to come out.

"Humans are strongest during the time of a crisis, and if the world is in danger… then we'll stand up! Not everyone's going to stand up and try going for something better when we've got something we're used to… but some of us are still willing to stand and evolve!" Arianna flashed her birthmark as it shone slightly. "This is the mark of human evolution, not just those chosen by the Crimson Dragon!" she urged on, trying to convince Laura, but it seemed futile.

"Human, listen to my words… I said I saw the future, and I already told you that it was bleak…" Laura responded with disgust. "Your Synchro Monsters are utterly repulsive… ZONE failed to defeat Yusei those few years ago, which made Yusei stand up and fight for something beyond Synchro Summons…"

"Yeah, and Yusei's working on it still! According to him, you Fallen Angels showed up before he could ever compl—"

"Because he's too busy cursing how he has to stop the Synchro Summons!" Laura barked before Arianna could finish. "Yusei Fudo is to blame, because he isn't really doing anything to outdate Synchro Monsters! You humans will never change until there is divine intervention!"

Arianna wasn't sure how to fight back, because it seemed like Laura was completely sure of what she was saying. However… "You may be right… You've seen the future, you're of divine descent, but… you don't know the true power of humans when they are banded together to fight for the safety of the future!"

"Hmph, again with the 'friends will make the world better' stuff that humans love to say. You humans aren't going to change any time soon."

"See, it's attitudes like that that makes us unable to do anything, because you look down on us like we're vermin" Arianna said as she looked at Laura with a look of confidence. A new fire sprang in her eyes as her next sentence formed in her mind. "Friendship is the essence of society, and so long as we all have friends… our bonds will explode with power and create a new miracle! A hope for the future will appear, and Yusei's the only way for us to have a future!"

"Putting your lives in the hands of a single human?" Laura raised an eyebrow. "I told you that Yusei was ZONE, in the future, and he was the one who tried to destroy Neo Domino City to erase the existence of Momentum along with Synchro Monsters…" she said, unable to bear with the fact that Arianna refused to listen to her words.

"I know, and Yusei's mentioned it before… but we have faith in him. We trust that he won't end up that way while in the process of creating that new answer to fighting without Synchro Monsters" Arianna responded, smiling. "So long as we're all still friends, Yusei has reason to continue pursuing the hope for the future!"

"Friendship won't save you, not even if you believe in this so-called 'bonds' you Signers claim you have… You all are different, and barely even know each other, yet have the guts to call each other friends…" Laura spat.

"Difference doesn't mean we shouldn't be friends. Actually, I believe it's thanks to these birthmarks… that we're friends! We all changed from our daily lives thanks to these birthmarks, and we were drawn together because of our ties formed by the Crimson Dragon!" Arianna argued back, revealing her Hand of the Crimson Dragon birthmark as it shone bright.

"Oh really now? Then show it to me, show me this bond to the Crimson Dragon you claim you have! Let's raise the stakes of this Duel! If you even so much as manage to bring my Life Points down to 0, then I'll let you come to where your precious friends reside…"

"And you won't try to lock me in there with them?"

"I'm a Fallen Angel of my words, but I won't make it that easy for you to even be able to do it…" Laura smirked.

"I'll take that challenge!" Arianna yelled.

"That Andromeda…" Corvx muttered, crossing his arms as he was watching the Duel from a ethereal screen that appeared to reveal what was happening with Laura. "She's getting too cocky for her own good…"

"What do you mean by that?" Regis asked, looking at Corvx with a raised eyebrow.

"She is under the belief that she will win this Duel no matter what is to occur…" Corvx answered, looking at Regis with a cold look in his eyes. "Not yet have we seen this girl's Signer Dragon, and she's already convincing herself that she'll win to this Signer" Corvx began rubbing his temples. "The young girl even had the audacity to raise the stakes…"

"Well, Andromeda hasn't summoned her Fallen Angel anyway, so it's an even match right now, in my opinion" Regis shrugged as he looked at the screen once more.

"Regis, do you know what you are saying? We have only been successful because we know of the Signer Dragons' powers… but shooting in the dark without that vital information is like committing suicide: you imposed death upon yourself" Corvx answered while staring Regis in the eyes with a wise look to his dark eyes. He rubbed his temples once more as his eyes rolled back to the screen with an annoyed look to them. "If that girl wins, we will have lost a prisoner of The Twilight…"

"Just let her have her fun, she'll win anyway" Regis shrugged once more with an almost uncaring look to his eyes along with an uncaring tone of voice.

"You're showing favoritism to your daughter, Regis…."

"End of discussion, Corvx."

"Draw!" Arianna swiped the top three cards of her Deck, and her eyes immediately turned to them. She, at first, widened her eyes in surprise, but then her lips curled into a smile. "I've found my way out of this bind, Laura!" she revealed a Monster Card in her hand. "I'll Normal Summon my **Naturia Pumpkin**!"

"Hmph, that Monster again?"

Naturia Pumpkin: 1400 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 4

"I'll activate Naturia Pumpkin's effect! If the opponent controls Monsters… I can Special Summon another Naturia in my hand! I'll Special Summon my **Naturia Butterfly** from my hand!" a butterfly flew out from her hand as it spun, allowing spores to rain from its beautiful wings. The pink butterfly then chirped happily as it landed on Naturia Pumpkin's head.

Naturia Butterfly: 500 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Oh, you've gathered yourself a Tuner Monster?" Laura asked with a grin on her face. "Child, a Synchro Summon will not save you… That Naturia Landoise you've shown me is a failure of a Monster when standing in comparison to my Master Hyperion! He isn't referred to as a master for no reason, for he has succeeded above being just an angel! He's master of the Agents! Venus, Mars, Earth, Jupiter, he's mastered them and all others!" she explained with her grin that revealed true confidence.

"I wasn't even aiming to Summon Naturia Landoise…" Arianna said as her crimson birthmark shone brighter than the light of Master Hyperion's artificial solar system! "I'm not alone in this Duel… Johnny, Rose, Yusei, Crow, Jack… All of them… they're with me in this Duel!" she shouted as the Naturia Butterfly shattered into three rings while Naturia Pumpkin turned into four orbs of white light. "_Protecting the World using the powers bestowed upon you by Mother Nature, I call you at this very moment! Become the guardian of my comrades, I beg of you!_" she chanted as the rings aligned with the orbs of light.

"What the…?"

"Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing what appeared to look like a long, Chinese dragon cloaked by the light. "Protect, **Holy Land Dragon**!" Arianna commanded as the light was slowly vanishing, revealing a brown-scaled dragon with several tufts of green hairs. Its face appeared almost as if it was made of wood, and it had two long whiskers that appeared to be made of a loose, wood-like material. The dragon's wings shot out of its body, revealing long, slender wings that appeared to be blue. The stout, yet slender-looking hands of the dragon pointed at the enemy and roared mightily, revealing large fangs. Its yellow eyes glowed with a gentle ferocity, revealing the true nature of the creature that Arianna summoned onto the Field.

Holy Land Dragon: 2300 Attack / 2900 Defense | Level 7

"Holy Land… Dragon…?" Laura raised an eyebrow.

"I'll activate her effect!" Arianna pointed at Master Hyperion. "Once per turn, I can remove from play a Level 4 or Lower Monster in my graveyard in order to gain Life Points equal to that Monster's Attack!" the spirit of Naturia Horneedle appeared on the Field as it then vanished into Arianna's body.

Arianna: 2100 Life Points

"Next, I'll activate her secondary effect! By reducing my Life Points in 500's, I can decrease the Attack Points of an opponent's Monster by 500 for each increment!" Arianna's dragon roared to life as its eyes glowed with might.

Arianna: 1100

"I decreased by 1000… so now I decrease your Hyperion by 1000! _Natural Restraint_!" tentacles sprung out from the ground, grasping upon Master Hyperion with a tight grip. They wrapped around the angel's wrists, ankles and throat without relent, almost as if they were bothered by the existence of this angel!

Master Hyperion: 1700 Attack

"W-what the!" Laura stared at the angel that was now being defeated by the earthly creations that existed below heaven. "It's impossible… God granted immortality to angels, he granted their immunity to the earth!"

"An angel isn't all that… especially if they're a fallen angel!" Arianna argued back as she swung her arm in the direction of Master Hyperion "Holy Land Dragon, attack him! _Nature's Power_!" The dragon heeded her command and roared as the dragon

"W-what the!" Laura stared at the angel that was now being defeated by the earthly creations that existed below the heavens that Master Hyperion stood upon. "It's impossible… God granted immortality to angels, he granted their immunity to the earth! Why are you still trying to resist it? Your claw will never reach me, Signer of the Crimson Dragon!"

"An angel isn't an angel if all they've done is kill! Wrongdoings can never be justified, even if a 'pure' being like an angel does it…"

"But the bloodshed is for a better cause, the wipe the world clean of all the impurities! Your Synchro Summons have led to impurity, time and time again…" Laura argued back, almost as if she were losing her mind from the resistance Arianna displayed.

"We can change ourselves! We're capable of evolving during times of crisis! Our souls… will constantly evolve!" Arianna argued back as she swung her arm in the direction of Master Hyperion "Holy Land Dragon, attack Master Hyperion! _Nature's Power_!" The dragon heeded her command and roared as it began to charge at the angel standing above the dragon.

The angel grunted as he struggled to move himself, but the tentacles kept him in place. "NO! STOP IT, HUMAN! YOU CAN'T WIN!" Laura shouted as the dragon's mouth opened, charging some brown energy in its mouth.

"This is where it's over!" the dragon launched the attack, releasing a blast of brown energy that completely overtook Master Hyperion. The angel grunted in pain as the blast was causing his skin to crack.

"M-Master Hyperion!" Laura called out as the angel was completely annihilated, and she was caught up in the blast.

Arianna panted, feeling a little bit of relief in her. _There… I've settled the battle. Johnny… were you watching me? We'll save you, alright? _Arianna was about to deactivate her Duel Disk, but it strangely didn't respond to her commands. "What the? The Duel's over, I won…" she muttered as she was trying to deactivate the Duel Disk.

"This Duel… isn't over with… you pathetic worm!" Laura yelled as the smoke cleared, revealing her to be perfectly intact!

Laura: 500

"What the? I could've sworn… Doesn't 2300 minus 1700 mean 600 damage going to you?" Arianna's eyes were wide in surprise.

"This battle… will never be over! So long as The Sanctuary in the Sky is face-up on the Field, battle damage to a player with a Fairy-type Monster is made 0! Have you forgotten about the will of the divine, young lady?"

"Wh-what was that!" her eyes widened in immediate surprise. _D-darn… I actually forgot about her Field Spell… how stupid can I be?_

_Turn 8_

"It's my turn!" Laura drew her next card with a fierce look in her eyes. She appeared enraged by Arianna, and didn't seem to be turning back from there. "You… I'll finish you off right here, on this turn!" she revealed a card in her hand. "First, I play my **Angelic Cure**! For playing this card, I gain 1200 Life Points!" a green light appeared around her body as a few of her wounds had begun to close, and she looked perfectly alright, as if nothing had ever happened to her.

Laura: 1700

"Next, I'm Normal Summoning **The Agent of Creation – Venus**!" An orange-skinned angel formed on the field with three orbs, one red, one blue, and one yellow right behind her body. Her wings slowly spread as her eyes opened a little, revealing deceiving beautiful-looking eyes.

The Agent of Creation – Venus: 1600 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 4

"Next, I'll activate her effect!" a red aura appeared around Laura as 500 of her Life Points had suddenly dropped.

Laura: 1200

"I Special Summon a **Mystic Shining Ball** from my Deck!"

Mystic Shining Ball: 500 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 2

"I'll do it again!" the red aura reproduced yet another orb of shining light onto the field.

Laura: 700

"Once more!" the red aura vanished as the third orb appeared on the field, and Laura staggered a little bit. "I'll need to be used to this human's body," she muttered to herself as he picked herself back up, and looked at the three orbs of light on her field.

Laura: 200

"I dunno what you're thinking of, but you just wiped out your Life Points… why is that?" Arianna questioned. She never understood this woman's turns, for they were convoluted and very unorthodox to her.

"I don't need you to worry about my turn. This is where I said I'd put you to an end!" Laura revealed a Spell Card that was in her hand, and began to laugh. "I'll activate **White Elephant's Gift**! With this card, I take a single Normal Monster on my side of the Field and send it to the graveyard…" a single orb of light vanished, and the top two cards on her Deck shone with a bright light, "and then I can draw two new cards!"

"Two new cards!" Artianna's eyes widened in surprise. _She only paid 500 Life Points to grant her that free draw! Oh god…_

"Now, human, I hope you understand… Heaven can never be touched by the likes of you bloody humans…" Laura revealed another Monster in her hand. "I take both my Mystic Shine Balls, and remove them from play in order to Special Summon **The Agent of Dark – Pluto**!" she commanded as the two were sent into a portal, and a dark-skinned angel, similar to Venus, appeared on the field with a frown on her face. Her eyes were emptiness, and the stare she was giving Arianna wasn't a pleasant one at all.

The Agent of Dark – Pluto: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7 | Tuner

"It's time…" Laura raised her hand towards the sky. "I'll _correct_ the Level 7 Agent of Dark – Pluto and my Level 4 Agent of Creation – Venus!" the two monsters shattered into pieces, and the black feathers surrounding their Duel had began to act on their own. They spun and danced, creating orbs of darkness that formed seven rings of black around the four orbs of black.

"C-Correction! This only means… a Fallen Angel?"

"_Awaken from the spell that binds you to your womb in the heavens, beautiful angel of the stars! Show us your radiance, your strength, your divinity, and your wisdom!_ Descend, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Andromeda**!" Laura commanded as her skin slowly proceeded in the process of turning gray. The aligned darkness suddenly exploded as darkness stained the sky completely, creating what almost seemed to be an artificial night sky. The night sky shifted as the stars aligned, taking on the form of what appeared to be a person with chains on their wrists. That specific pattern glowed brightly as the rumblings of the earth continued about.

"What the!" Arianna tried to keep on balance as the earth kept on trembling, but she fell to her knees, and looked up at the sky. She bore witness as Laura's wings suddenly burst out from her shoulder blades, revealing the black wings that were hidden under her skin.

"Descend, my fallen angel!" she commanded as the constellation above them shattered to pieces, revealing a dark figure that seemed to be hiding within the constellation. Slowly, yet majestically, the being of darkness began to descend upon the earth, revealing what appeared to be a gray-skinned woman with a flowing white dress that covered most of her body, save for her arms and legs. She seemed to be radiant, with long, flowing red hair that fell like a waterfall towards the small of her back. On her wrists were cuffs with long chains attached to them, but it appeared as if she didn't mind them, her green eyes were fixed upon Arianna.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Andromeda: 3000 Attack / 3000 Defense | Level 11

"W-what the…?" Arianna could not believe what she was seeing, and was absolutely terrified now. Her Signer Dragon suddenly roared, as if it recognized the enemy indefinitely.

"Hmph, Signer… We were born to wipe out the human race of all it's evils and begin life anew. Why won't you see it our way? We're simply healing the earth that you love oh so much…."

"I don't believe that! Anyone willing to go out of their way and commit bloodshed isn't a friend to Mother Nature!" Arianna argued back, standing back on her feet, and staring at Andromeda.

Laura stood on the shoulder of her Fallen Angel of the Stars, grinning widely. The fallen angel moaned as her black wings suddenly ripped out from her back, and unfolded with an almost unholy majesty. "Fine then, Signer, I tried to make it easier…" she raised her hand and pointed in Arianna's direction. "It's over with, Signer of the Crimson Dragon… I'll activate my Andromeda's effect! Once per turn, I can halve the attack points of an opponent's Monster, and add it to my own Life Points!"

"Wait… what? Halve the attack of my Monster?" Arianna's eyes widened in surprise.

"Yes, my dear enemy…." The Fallen Angel suddenly screamed as one of her chains suddenly hissed and flew towards the dragon. The chains wrapped around the dragon's body, making it roar in pain as the chains began to glow with a pinkish hue. The dragon cried out in pain as the pinkish light suddenly flowed like a river, all of which were going towards the fallen angel's cuff. The other chain gently flew over towards Laura, and snaked around her body almost gently.

Arianna watched in horror as her Signer Dragon kept crying in pain as it was losing power. _H-Holy Land Dragon!_ She was about to reach out for it, but the dragon roared as if telling her to stay away from it.

The other cuff of Andromeda suddenly glowed as the pinkish light then began flowing to Laura like a river, and her Life Points had begun to increase. The dragon groaned in pain and it's colored scales began to wither away into a deathly gray.

Laura: 1350

Holy Land Dragon: 1150 Attack

The two chains then loosened, releasing both Laura and Holy Land Dragon. The chains returned to their master, and Andromeda began to sing a heavenly tune. "It's over, Signer. You've fought, you had your time to win, but it looks like… I'm the victor"

"H-Holy Land Dragon…" Arianna looked at Laura with a hateful stare in her eyes.

"Now you can no longer mock me… I am amongst the heavens, kid! You'll never be able to reach me, your claws can never touch me… It's over!" the angel suddenly shifted, and reached out towards the dragon.

"I won't let you do that! Trap Activa—"

"Sorry, kid, but when you activate a Spell card or a Trap card in my Battle Phase… I can negate and destroy it by Andromeda's effect!" Laura smiled as energy from the fallen angel shot forth at the activated Trap card like lightning. "It's over, kid, your Traps are meaningless when faced against my Andromeda! Fall into a meaningless death, Signer, because I win our little gamble!" she laughed with superiority. She felt sweet release as the energy drew closer and closer to the card.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but this Duel isn't over! Not the way you think it is!" Arianna corrected Laura as her Holy Land Dragon roared with pain, and yet some dignity. The dragon stared at Andromeda while a red static slowly flowed from its scales. The red static lashed out at the lightning, and cancelled it immediately!

"What the! What are you doing, girl!"

"I activate my Holy Land Dragon's last effect! Once per turn, I pay half my Life Points in order to negate a Monster Effect during the Battle Phase…" Arianna's lips curled into a sly little smile as her Life Points dramatically dropped to 500. Holy Land Dragon roared mightily as the red static flung itself towards Andromeda and wrapped all around the Fallen Angel. She screamed as Laura clenched her teeth in slight annoyance.

"You're quite the nuisance… fine then, let's see that Trap Card!" she barked.

"As you wish! Trap Activate: **Natural Balance**!" the trap flipped open as Holy Land Dragon roared one more time, and a vine suddenly flung out towards Laura, wrapping around her body immediately.

"What the hell are you doing!" Laura yelled as she struggled and squirmed to break free. "Let me go, human!" her wings flapped madly as she was slowly being dragged off the Fallen Angel's shoulder. Andromeda screamed as she pointed a palm at Holy Land Dragon, firing a large ray of energy that was enough to swallow the dragon whole!

"If I'm going down… I'm taking you with me! At least this'll make it easier for the Signers… and you'll have to fulfill your part of the bargain!"

"W-what the?" Laura raised an eyebrow as her mind panicked.

"Remember, you said that if I dropped your Life Points to 0, you'd lead me to where your lot has hidden Johnny" Arianna explained with a grin. "You never specified that I had to win… so I think a tie will suffice!"

"Tch! You… you crafty little human!" Laura said with embarrassment in her tone. She'd never known that she'd lose to a human in such a manner!

"With this... the way to saving Johnny's been opened!" Arianna said to herself with a wide smile on her face.

"I can't believe I even so much as tied with a Signer..." Laura muttered to herself as a portal of darkness opened up bettwen the two Duelists. "Fine then... I'll take you... to the void..." she said, sounding almost upset and disappointed. _Tch, you screwed up, Laura, and now... We're fried once Corvx or worse, **Regis** gets their hands on us... _the Fallen Angel hissed angrily within her.

* * *

Author's Note: Again with my girlfriend making me write this. She's just the best. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own 5D's.


	7. Hands of Destiny: Gemini!

"Fine, I'll take you into the void, where your friend Johnny has been hidden..." Laura said with a frankly upset voice. _You fool, your arrogance allowed this child access into The Void! If she gains the information to our God's plans, we're toast! If Corvx or, worse yet, __**Regis**__ gets their hands on us, we're in for some hell!_ "There's nothing I can do about it, I'm forced to follow the gamble we made with this girl..."

"With this tie... I've found the way to finding Johnny!" Arianna said excitedly with a smile across her face. _Yusei, Rose, I'll be back soon..._ she reassured herself in her thoughts as the portal of darkness suddenly swallowed both Arianna and the Fallen Angel's Host. "W-WHA!" she screamed in surprise as the world around her suddenly became nothing but an eternal darkness.

"Do not fret, girl, this is the void... It is all Darkness. No light can hope to escape, which is why this is the sealing place of souls. A world without light..." Laura answered as a light began to radiate around Arianna as well as Laura.

"W-what? You mean this place is gonna swallow me up like with Johnny?" Arianna panicked, looking at Laura as if she were a traitor.

"No. This light around us a barrier to prevent the lost and damned from touching us..." Laura answered, looking at the dim light at the core of the dimension they now stood upon. "Now, go find your friend Johnny in this perpetual Darkness. The dim light you see will lead you back to where you came. If you cannot find him in the next five or so minutes, you will be locked in this dimension until someone else comes to rescue you as well" she explained, crossing her arms as she then looked at Arianna. "So move, pitiful Earth-dweller..."

"G-Got it!" Arianna began sprinting in a single direction, screaming out "JOHNNY!", but there were no responses to her words. Several souls lying within the darkness began to moan and groan as a single one began to reach out towards Arianna. "EW!" she leaped away, only for another soul to start reaching out to her leg. The soul's hand grabbed the light, but it began to scream in agony as the hand withdrew back into the darkness. "R-right, I forgot... this light around me keeps me safe..." she whispered and then looked at her arm, seeing the hand of the Crimson Dragon in her hand. It suddenly began to glow as her Duel Disk's Extra Deck began to radiate a brown light.

"What's going on?" she questioned, popping the Extra Deck slot open as her Holy Land Dragon ejected itself from her Duel Disk. The light suddenly faded, and the image of the mighty dragon suddenly appeared to her right. "H-Holy Land Dragon!" Arianna called the name of her dragon, and it roared greatly. The roars of the dragon suddenly echoed as light began to radiate off it's body. More roars could be heard from deep within The Void as yet another crimson light began to shine from deeper within the dimension. "Could that be... Johnny?" Arianna began to sprint in the direction of the Crimson glow while her Holy Land Dragon roared loudly. "JOHNNY!" she shouted as she came closer to the light, seeing the faint image of the Dragon's Wings under the overlaying darkness. "How do I get him out...?" she whispered as her dragon roared once again. Roars could be heard from underneath as a bright red light began to glow. Dragon roars could be heard, exceeding the roars of Holy Land Dragon.

"What is that...? Meteo-Rage Dragon?" Arianna muttered in surprise, looking at her birthmark. "I-it's Meteo-Rage Dragon!" she pointed, and suddenly her mark of the Crimson Dragon shone upon the darkness, ripping open a portal of crimson light. "J-Johnny!" she said happily as the boy slowly began to rise from the depths of the darkness, along with his Signer Dragon, Meteo-Rage Dragon. The Signer Dragon roared mightily as it spun and unfolded it's wings, pausing to reveal it's mighty form.

"H-huh...?" Johnny muttered, looking around as his vision remained to be blurry. "Am I... alive again...?" he wondered as his nearly-colorless eyes began to regain their green color. The pools of emerald fully recovered, and his vision became clear to the darkness around them all. "Where... am I...?" he then looked and saw Arianna. "Arianna, what're you doing here?"

"I came here to rescue you, silly, now we have to go, our exit's about to close!" she pointed at the slowly darkening light in the middle of the space they stood upon. "I'll explain when we get out, let's move, move, move!" she shouted as she grabbed Johnny by the forearm, and began running.

"Wait, what!" Johnny didn't understand what was going on. "Dude, what're you talking about?" he looked back at Holy Land Dragon and Meteo-Rage Dragon, watching the two vanish into pixels as the lights returned to their cards. _Meteo-Rage Dragon... did you call for them?_ He looked down to his arm, seeing his Wings of the Dragon birthmark shine.

"We're almost there!" Arianna announced as the two came close to the darkening light, vanishing into the portal of light.

"Dude, if I get sick of this ride... I'm blaming you" Johnny said, sounding almost sick to his stomach as the darkness vanished, becoming light, which then turned into a vortex of colors. Finally, the vortex stopped, revealing them to be standing in the same location as Rose and Yusei were.

* * *

"...You're back?" Rose looked at the two. Her eyes turned to Johnny, and then she glared. "Up and dying like that? You're an idiot, you know that?" she spat in annoyance.

"Ugh... ah..." Yusei sat up, rubbing his temples. "Why do I feel like I got hit by a train?" he grumbled to himself, looking to see that Johnny had returned. "J-Johnny! You're back!" he said excitedly.

"Nice job there, Arianna, I knew that you would pull through for that Johnny Alvarez kid..." a voice rang out.

Rose's eyes widened at the familiarity and she looked at Yusei. "Yusei... that voice... that's the man who convinced me to kill you..." she explained in a low whisper before Yusei got up to turn to the direction of the alleyway.

"You!" Yusei pointed at the darkness of the alley. "You were the one that pit Rose and I against each other, which led to Johnny fighting Rose, right!" he yelled accusingly as a dim light suddenly shone at the end of the alley.

"So it seems you aren't as dim as I originally suspected…" a chuckle could be heard at the end of the alley as a blue and orange dim light suddenly shone. "Yusei Fudo, Rose Marie, Arianna Rena… and then… Johnny Alvarez…" the man in the darkness said with pure delight. "Four Signers, gathered here? Joy to the world how am I so lucky?" a small applause echoed through the darkness.

Johnny bit his bottom lip, feeling uneasy as the man was speaking. _Something about this guy ain't human… What Rose said about him being able to 'read destiny' is something no regular Joe can do…_

Rose stepped forward, fists clenched and anger almost clouding her judgment of character. "You, Levis, have led me to attack those who had absolutely nothing to do with Keith!" she pointed with declaration along with deep anger in her tone of voice. "You misguided me, and played with my heart… Don't forget, Levis, a rose by any other name is just a rose, but I'm no ordinary one… I am one full of thorns, full of spite, and filled with hate…" she clenched her fists tightly.

"R-Rose, calm down… he fed off your anger before, and then had you nearly kill Yusei!" Arianna remarked in quick hesitation to Rose's words.

"No worries, I won't let someone twist my line of sight…" Rose then glared at Johnny. "I've still got someone to beat… but for now" she immediately looked at the darkness of the alley, "you'll satisfy my need to battle!"

"Humph, do you really expect to bring back your lover?" Levis answered as footsteps echoed with dangerous approach.

"I don't expect to revive him anymore… the dead are left to rest in peace in their graves for a reason. However… there is reason to fight in the name of that person! Right here, right now, I fight for Keith!" Rose placed a hand over her chest as she thought carefully about what she was saying. _This is… unlike me…_

"Foolish girl…" Levis stepped out of the darkness, appearing the same as he did before when Rose first met him. A young, yet mature face with yellow and blue eyes. His hood was off, revealing long white hair that hung lazily and curled. Across his forehead were several cross-shaped markers that looked almost like scars. "Now, Rose, are you serious about fighting me?" the man asked with a coy smile across his face.

"Yes… I won't let you do as you please while manipulating others!" Rose raised her Duel Disk.

"Fine… but it'll be a two-on-one then, Rose."

"Two-on-one? I've no plans to partner up with anyone, not against the likes of you."

"Oh ho, ho, ho, you're quite laughable, woman" Levis answered with a chuckle as his skin slowly turned gray, and his shoulder blades bulged disgustingly. A pair of large, black wings surged forth from his shoulder blades as he continued to chuckle.

"Be careful, Rose." Yusei forewarned.

"Heh, she's got this, right Rose?" Johnny grinned.

"You better watch carefully, Johnny… I want you to be as prepared as possible for when I unleash this army on you once more…" Rose answered chillingly without even turning around.

Johnny shivered a little with a sweat drop. "Ah… I guess you're still mad at me?" he chuckled nervously.

A light enveloped his entire body as he outstretched his forearms towards the sides. He continued to laugh as the light suddenly tore in half and faded away immediately to reveal two figures that appeared to be mirror images of each other. Same face as Levis, and everything physically matched with one another, except for a few details. One had golden-yellow eyes that showed deceptive warmth while the other had night-blue eyes that showed outright coldness to the world. The golden-eyed one had a single white wing while the other had a single black wing. "This is the true form…" the golden-eyed one began with a grin on his face.

"Of Gemini" the other finished with a matching grin on his face.

"This isn't fair; a two-on-one is by no means balanced!" Yusei argued.

"Be quiet, Yusei Fudo. You will have your turn the very moment we are finished with the girl…" the black-winged one said with a striking tone. "You may proceed to call me Gemini Black."

"And I'm Gemini White" the white-winged one smiled as he bowed.

"Then this'll be interesting… I accept to these conditions!"Rose raised her Duel Disk with a look of excitement in her eyes.

The twin angels shot a look at one another with smirks as white and black feathers danced around the field, creating a perfect circle around the three.

"Since this is an irregular Duel… No one can attack until it is my Turn…" Gemini Black spoke.

"And you, Rose, will be going in between the two of us." Gemini White chimed in.

"Fine then, so I'll take the first turn!" Rose answered back as the feathers glowed with a dim light. "Duel!" the three contenders yelled.

Rose: 4000

Gemini White: 4000

Gemini Black: 4000

"Draw!" Rose drew her five cards, and then swiped the sixth one from the top of her Deck. "I'll begin with the effect of **The Fabled Chawa**! By discarding another Fabled Monster in my hand, I can Special Summon him!" she discarded a card in her hand as the demonic Chihuahua appeared on the field with a bark.

The Fabled Chawa: 100 Attack / 100 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"Now, the Monster I discarded was **The Fabled Ganashia**. Whenever it is discarded, I Special Summon it back onto the Field with a 200 Point boost!" she commanded as an elephant standing on two feet appeared on the field with a toot of its horn.

The Fabled Ganashia: 1800 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 3

"Finally, I'll Normal Summon **Fabled Ashenveil**!" she commanded as a brutish demon appeared on the field with a single arm appearing to be more muscular than the rest of its body. The demon roared mightily as the light on its body slowly faded. "I'll Tune the Level 3 The Fabled Ganashia, Level 4 Fabled Ashenveil, and Level 1 The Fabled Chawa!"

"Here comes her Ace!" Johnny whooped.

"_My flames of hate, arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand before us with your creation-shaking flames!_" Rose chanted as four orbs of light danced around four rings of green light.

_And so begins Rose's fight on the side of the Signers…_ Yusei crossed his arms, watching the Duel carefully.

"Humph, humans are so reliant on Synchro Summons… this is why we were created…" Gemini Black muttered.

"We were created to annihilate you pathetic worms…" Gemini White chimed in, grinning.

A hole of darkness opened between Rose and her two opponents. "Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" Rose commanded as her black dragon emerged from the hole, roaring mightily as black flames surrounded its entire body.

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"I'll set one card and end my turn." Rose instructed as a vertically set card appeared in front of her.

_Turn 2_

"Gemini Black, shall I take the turn?" the white-winged angel looked at his twin brother with a smile.

"I don't care, just go," Gemini Black answered with a smirk.

"Draw!" Gemini White swiped the sixth card off the top of his Deck. "Hm… I'll start off by Summoning **Arcana Force III – The Empress**!" Gemini White commanded as a mechanical, yet humanly shaped woman appeared on the field with a grunt.

Arcana Force III – The Empress: 1300 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 4

"Now, when this card is Summoned…" the image of the creature's card appeared over it's head, spinning around.

"What the?" Johnny raised an eyebrow.

"Never heard of a card that spins itself…" Arianna blinked.

"Something has to be behind that kind of effect…" Yusei muttered.

"You may call when it shall stop, Rose" Gemini White said with a smile.

"…" Rose watched carefully as the card spun slowly. _Hm… that card is odd to spin like that… I guess I'll see what it does when I make the call…_ As the card reached a tilt, she declared "Stop!" The card moved several times, finally stopping as it's head appeared in the upward position.

"Oh, I'm sorry… it looks like you've helped me. In the Head position, The Empress will allow me to Special Summon another Arcana Force Monster from the hand when you bother Normal Summoning or Setting a Monster…" Gemini White shrugged.

"Tch, Special Summon all you want, I'll still knock you out of your game…" Rose muttered.

"I'll set one card, and end my turn."

_Turn 3_

"My turn" Rose swiped the top card of her Deck. "I'll Normal summon **Fabled Raven**!" a single demon appeared on the field with a smirk on its face as its red eyes glowed.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"At this time, the effect of **Arcana Force III – The Empress** activates! When you Normal Summon a Monster… I can Special Summon an Arcana Force in my hand!" Gemini White revealed a Monster in his hand. "So, I'll Special Summon** Arcana Force XVIII** **– The Moon**!" he commanded as a larger machine appeared on the field, beeping as the creature controlling it from within laughed with a grin on its face.

Arcana Force XVIII – The Moon: 2800 Attack / 2800 Defense | Level 7

"Now, time to gamble it all again!" a smaller image of the Monster's Card appeared on the Field, spinning around over it's head. "Please, Rose, call it one more time."

"… Stop right there!" she commanded as the card landed in a head-down position.

"Oh, that's no good…" Gemini White whistled.

"Tch, you idiot. Why'd you bring that one out?" Gemini Black looked at White with a frown.

"That was the only living threat I had left in my hand, okay?" Gemini White retorted.

"Now, I'll use the effect of my **Fabled Raven**! Once per turn, I discard cards in my hand in order for his Levels to increase, along with his Attack Points!" Rose took the two cards in her hand and threw them into her discard pile.

Fabled Raven: 2100 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

"I activate the effect of my **Fabled Lurrie **in the graveyard!"

"Graveyard activation?" Gemini White immediately looked at Rose.

"When he's discarded, I Special Summon him from the graveyard!" she instructed as a miniature demon with a grin appeared on the field.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 1

"The Effect of my Hellfire Dragon now activates! Whenever a Fiend is Special Summoned, it gains 200 Attack Points!"

Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack

"Tch, another Synchro Summon?" Gemini Black questioned with a frown.

"Tuning!" four rings surrounded a single orb of light. "_Oh greedy one, arise from the depths of the earth!_ Synchro Summon!" a golden light shone onto the field. "Reveal yourself, **Fabled Ragin**!" a golden demon appeared on the field, roaring as its wings unfolded and it crossed its arms.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 5

"I activate the effect of Fabled Ragin! When it is Synchro Summoned, and I have 1 or Less cards in my hand… I draw until I'm holding two in my hand!" she swiped the top two cards from her Deck. "Don't forget, my soul gains more power!" Rose instructed as her dragon roared mightily, black flames dancing around its body.

Hellfire Dragon: 3100 Attack

"Interesting, a Monster that permits extra Draw Power to the player who knows how to use it…" Gemini White rubbed his chin. "The Empress certainly matches you well…"

"I'll set a card facedown. Turn End" Rose spat.

_Turn 4_

"Draw!" Gemini Black examined his hand and grinned. "I will now activate the Monster Effect of **Arcana Force X – Wheel of Fortune** in my hand! Through this effect, I can select a single Monster with "Arcana Force" in its name, and add it from the deck to my hand" he swiped a single card from his Deck and revealed it to Rose. "I'll add **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun** into my hand" he looked at the card with a smile. "Brother, it appears that I'll be borrowing your Monsters. Is that fine with you?"

"Whatever it takes to win" Gemini White shrugged.

"I'll release these two Monsters in order to Advance Summon…" the two mechanical-looking angels vanished as a bright light covered the field with an ominous omnipresence. "I'll Advance Summon my **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun**!" the light suddenly gathered onto a single portion of Gemini Black's field. The light slowly shedding away from the surface of a machine, Gemini Black smirked with a dark aura around him. Half of the machine remained within the white light, while the rest revealed itself to be large and spherical, almost like the Sun.

Arcana Force XIX – The Sun: 2900 Attack/2900 Defense | Level 7

"Wh-what the?" Rose's eyes shot open in surprise.

"I activate the effect of Arcana Force XIX – The Sun! When this card is Summoned…" a small image of the card appeared, spinning itself around.

"Now, dear Rose, please declare when this card will be stopped" Gemini White requested with a smile across his face.

"Stop right there!" Rose commanded as the card landed itself in a left-side up position. The card then proceeded to straighten itself with its head up.

"Oh I'm sorry, madam… but it seems you've led yourself to your bitter end" Gemini White bowed.

"When this card lands in the up-right position, I can select a single Monster on the opponent's side of the Field. Next, I Special Summon a Token with Attack and Defense equal to the selected Monster" Gemini Black looked at the two creatures on Rose's side of their battlefield.

"Hmph, my Hellfire Dragon cannot be targeted by card effects; otherwise your Monster is destroyed, so the point of selecting between the two is lost. You can only select my Fabled Ragin, unless you're just as stupid as you look." Rose crossed her arms, frowning.

"Oh, I'm aware of that…" Gemini Black smirked as he pointed at Hellfire Dragon. "However, I will still choose your Hellfire Dragon!" a light suddenly surrounded the black dragon. The mighty creature roared as dark flames sprouted from the ground enshrouding **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun**.

"You fool; your Monster is now destroyed!" Rose barked in command.

"Rose, do you know what happened to The Fool when he met The Sun?" Gemini Black grinned.

"Ooh, this story?" Gemini White smiled delightfully.

"No, and do I care?" Rose spat.

"You should… When The Fool first met The Sun, he had been tried and tired, he had been confused and lost… but all hope returned to his heart when he stared at The Sun. The light radiated a child before him, and the child shone with a smile…" Gemini Black began.

"Then, The Fool asks 'Who are you?' only for the child to answer him with 'I am you. I am the new you'." Gemini White smiled brightly. "Then, The Fool was filled with warmth and happiness, and finds out that The Sun, the garden, the child, everything was all inside him. He had finally seen his inner light… just like this human body has."

"What?" Rose raised an eyebrow at that last sentence Gemini White said.

"Your Monster… will meet the inner light of itself. Your Soul will be shown The Light, Rose" Gemini Black began to chuckle as white flames suddenly ascended from the ground, completely eradicating the black flames that surrounded Arcana Force XIX – The Sun.

"What the?"

"Your Monster effects cannot negate the effect of Arcana Force XIX – The Sun…" Gemini White shook his head with a smile.

"Reveal yourself to us, Hellfire Dragon's Inner Light!" Gemini Black commanded as the white flames faded away, revealing a being that appeared almost exactly like Hellfire Dragon, but it was completely white instead. The dragon's eyes showed kindness, and its warm light made the darkness of Hellfire Dragon seem almost pathetic by comparison!

Inner Light Token: 3100 Attack / 3100 Defense | Level 8 | LIGHT

"Tch!" Rose placed an arm over her eyes, shedding them from the bright light that covered the field. "You think you can just copy my soul, huh?" she yelled and her Signer Mark glowed brightly. "You're not going to get away with that!"

"It does not matter…" Gemini Black shook his head before raising his index finger. "Battle… Hellfire Dragon's Inner Light attacks Hellfire Dragon!"

"Tch, butting heads, eh?" Rose snapped her fingers, and a face-down card flipped up. "I activate the trap called **Raigeki Break**! I discard one card to destroy your Inner Light Token! So much for a reflection of my soul!" the card was sent into her discard pile as lightning then shot from the heavens, striking the Hellfire Dragon copy.

The dragon roared mightily as the lightning enveloped its entire body. "Rose… what a fool…" Gemini Black grinned as the lightning faded, and the Hellfire Dragon copy roared with intense might.

"What the?" Rose's eyes shot open as the dragon broke free of the lightning, and launched a blast of white flames at Hellfire Dragon while the dragon combated by launching a blast of black flames. The two differently shaded flames clashed together as the two dragons roared.

"Rose, while my Arcana Force XIX – The Sun is still face-up… my Inner Light Token cannot be destroyed in battle, nor by card effects!" Gemini Black began to laugh.

"What?"

"This just means… that dragon of yours is gonna go bye-bye" Gemini White waved with a wide smile across his face.

"Tch, I won't let that happen! Quick-Play Spell, **Demon Half**! Through this card's effect, I discard a single card in my hand to the graveyard if I control 1 Fiend-Type Monster. Through this card's effect, I lower my Monsters' Attack Power by 1000 in order to prevent them from being destroyed by battle!" Rose instructed as a black aura appeared around both Fabled Ragin and Hellfire Dragon. The white flames swallowed the black flames entirely with an intense hunger as it drew closer to Hellfire Dragon.

"ROSE!" Johnny, Yusei, and Arianna yelled in panic as the white flames completely enshrouded her.

"Brother, are you doing what I think you're going to do?" Gemini White looked at Gemini Black.

"Yes, Gemini White."

"Oh, this'll be fun to watch…" Gemini White's smile became a malicious one after he said that.

* * *

Author's Note: BLEH! x.x

Disclaimer: I do not own 5D's


	8. The Black Hope: Crimson Hellblaze Dragon

"I'll release these two Monsters in order to Advance Summon…" the two mechanical-looking angels vanished as a bright light covered the field with an ominous omnipresence. "I'll Advance Summon my **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun**!" the light suddenly gathered onto a single portion of Gemini Black's field. The light slowly shedding away from the surface of a machine, Gemini Black smirked with a dark aura around him. Half of the machine remained within the white light, while the rest revealed itself to be large and spherical, almost like the Sun.

Arcana Force XIX – The Sun: 2900 Attack/2900 Defense | Level 7

"Wh-what the?" Rose's eyes shot open in surprise.

"I activate the effect of Arcana Force XIX – The Sun! When this card is Summoned…" a small image of the card appeared, spinning itself around.

"Now, dear Rose, please declare when this card will be stopped" Gemini White requested with a smile across his face.

"Stop right there!" Rose commanded as the card landed itself in a left-side up position. The card then proceeded to straighten itself with its head up.

"Oh I'm sorry, madam… but it seems you've led yourself to your bitter end" Gemini White bowed.

"When this card lands in the up-right position, I can select a single Monster on the opponent's side of the Field. Next, I Special Summon a Token with Attack and Defense equal to the selected Monster" Gemini Black looked at the two creatures on Rose's side of their battlefield.

"Hmph, my Hellfire Dragon cannot be targeted by card effects; otherwise your Monster is destroyed, so the point of selecting between the two is lost. You can only select my Fabled Ragin, unless you're just as stupid as you look." Rose crossed her arms, frowning.

"Oh, I'm aware of that…" Gemini Black smirked as he pointed at Hellfire Dragon. "However, I will still choose your Hellfire Dragon!" a light suddenly surrounded the black dragon. The mighty creature roared as dark flames sprouted from the ground enshrouding **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun**.

"You fool; your Monster is now destroyed!" Rose barked in command.

"Rose, do you know what happened to The Fool when he met The Sun?" Gemini Black grinned.

"Ooh, this story?" Gemini White smiled delightfully.

"No, and do I care?" Rose spat.

"You should… When The Fool first met The Sun, he had been tried and tired, he had been confused and lost… but all hope returned to his heart when he stared at The Sun. The light radiated a child before him, and the child shone with a smile…" Gemini Black began.

"Then, The Fool asks 'Who are you?' only for the child to answer him with 'I am you. I am the new you'." Gemini White smiled brightly. "Then, The Fool was filled with warmth and happiness, and finds out that The Sun, the garden, the child, everything was all inside him. He had finally seen his inner light… just like this human body has."

"What?" Rose raised an eyebrow at that last sentence Gemini White said.

"Your Monster… will meet the inner light of itself. Your Soul will be shown The Light, Rose" Gemini Black began to chuckle as white flames suddenly ascended from the ground, completely eradicating the black flames that surrounded Arcana Force XIX – The Sun.

"What the?"

"Your Monster effects cannot negate the effect of Arcana Force XIX – The Sun…" Gemini White shook his head with a smile.

"Reveal yourself to us, Hellfire Dragon's Inner Light!" Gemini Black commanded as the white flames faded away, revealing a being that appeared almost exactly like Hellfire Dragon, but it was completely white instead. The dragon's eyes showed kindness, and its warm light made the darkness of Hellfire Dragon seem almost pathetic by comparison!

Inner Light Token: 3100 Attack / 3100 Defense | Level 8 | LIGHT

"Tch!" Rose placed an arm over her eyes, shedding them from the bright light that covered the field. "You think you can just copy my soul, huh?" she yelled and her Signer Mark glowed brightly. "You're not going to get away with that!"

"It does not matter…" Gemini Black shook his head before raising his index finger. "Battle… Hellfire Dragon's Inner Light attacks Hellfire Dragon!"

"Tch, butting heads, eh?" Rose snapped her fingers, and a face-down card flipped up. "I activate the trap called **Raigeki Break**! I discard one card to destroy your Inner Light Token! So much for a reflection of my soul!" the card was sent into her discard pile as lightning then shot from the heavens, striking the Hellfire Dragon copy.

The dragon roared mightily as the lightning enveloped its entire body. "Rose… what a fool…" Gemini Black grinned as the lightning faded, and the Hellfire Dragon copy roared with intense might.

"What the?" Rose's eyes shot open as the dragon broke free of the lightning, and launched a blast of white flames at Hellfire Dragon while the dragon combated by launching a blast of black flames. The two differently shaded flames clashed together as the two dragons roared.

"Rose, while my Arcana Force XIX – The Sun is still face-up… my Inner Light Token cannot be destroyed in battle, nor by card effects!" Gemini Black began to laugh.

"What?"

"This just means… that dragon of yours is gonna go bye-bye" Gemini White waved with a wide smile across his face.

"Tch, I won't let that happen! Quick-Play Spell, **Demon Half**! Through this card's effect, I discard a single card in my hand to the graveyard if I control 1 Fiend-Type Monster. Through this card's effect, I lower my Monsters' Attack Power by 1000 in order to prevent them from being destroyed by battle!" Rose instructed as a black aura appeared around both Fabled Ragin and Hellfire Dragon. The white flames swallowed the black flames entirely with an intense hunger as it drew closer to Hellfire Dragon.

"ROSE!" Johnny, Yusei, and Arianna yelled in panic as the white flames completely enshrouded her.

"Brother, are you doing what I think you're going to do?" Gemini White looked at Gemini Black.

"Yes, Gemini White."

"Oh, this'll be fun to watch…" Gemini White's smile became a malicious one after he said that.

* * *

Rose looked around, the flames of light completely covering the entire field around her, but they merely danced. None of them burned her, even when she directly touched it. _What kind of flames are these?_ She raised an eyebrow as she took a few steps forward, feeling around for some sort of exit. "Where the hell am I, Levis!" she shouted, but without a response. She stopped as a sudden chilling feel crept down her spine, and she wondered where this feeling was coming from. Never before had she experienced such a feeling, so of course she was astounded by it. "Come out, coward!" she shouted, as if someone were there with her. No responses came to her after a few seconds of waiting. "Let me out of here, Levis!" Rose shouted once more as she slammed her fist into a wall of white flame.

Suddenly, a figure appeared, taking on the shape of what appeared to be a young girl with an innocent smile on her face. She had dark hair with crystal blue eyes that only radiated with innocence matched by none. "Hello there" the child said with the innocent smile across her face.

Rose turned, looking at the child who appeared to be wearing the same clothing that she wore. "Who are you?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I am you, you were once me" the child answered delightfully.

"That's not taking me anywhere, so tell me who you are, and how to leave."

"I am you, you were once me. There is no way out, there is no way in. You're trapped here, just as I am" the girl answered as if she were telling a riddle.

"Then step back, because I'm finding my way out!" Rose shouted as she slammed her fist into the wall of white flame again. It felt almost like nothing was there, and yet it was still blocking her from leaving the world of white that surrounded her.

"Lookie there…" the child pointed at something. A dragon's painful roars echoed throughout the entire space they stood on.

"What the?" Rose turned around, and her crystal blue orbs widened in immediate surprise. "Wh-what the hell?" she spat as there were white flames that bound Hellfire Dragon onto a wall. The dragon roared in pain as she immediately felt a shiver down her spine. _W-what is this feeling?_

"This is your soul… it is in pain when shown to the light…" the little girl tilted her head in confusion.

"J-just who are you..?" Rose panted as she fell onto her knees. She could barely stand, let alone be on her knees for some strange reason.

"I told you who I am… I am you, you were once me…" the child pointed at herself with a smile across her face.

"You're… not… me…!" Rose struggled to move her limbs, but they felt surprisingly heavy as the dragon screeched in pain once more.

"You're trapped in here with me, hee hee" the girl smiled maliciously as white flames began to reach out like tendrils, snaking around Rose's arms, legs, and body.

"What the?" Rose's attention immediately went to them, and the burning sensation that suddenly jolted through her body!

"Looks like the white flames hurt you too…" the girl said almost curiously.

"Release me at once!" Rose shouted.

"I cannot. We were once a whole, and yet you divided us… Do you know where you are?" the little girl danced around as if she were in a safe haven.

"No…."

"This is the deepest part of your heart, Rose. You are inside yourself, along with me, who has always been inside of you. You locked me away for who knows how long, however…" an ethereal screen appeared before the two. "You see those men?" the child asked.

"What about them?" Rose struggled to escape, but the flaming tendrils kept her bound to them and burned her the more she tried to escape. "Tch…" she stopped struggling for a moment.

"They released me from inside you…" the child answered.

* * *

"ROSE!" Johnny shouted, running towards the Duel field.

"Sorry, kid, but if you dare to intervene… the duel ends with Rose losing" Gemini Black wagged a finger in immediate disapproval.

"This is cheating, and you know that, Levis!" Johnny shouted.

"Release her from the spell you've bound her to." Yusei spoke with a deep demand in his voice.

"I apologize, but the Duel was agreed upon by none other than Rose Marie, not Yusei Fudo, Johnny Alvarez, nor Arianna Rena, now was it?" Gemini White looked at the Signers with that smile across his face.

"Tch…" Johnny clenched his fists tightly, looking at Rose. She appeared to be like a dying flower, wilted and full of emptiness in her eyes. "You better wake up! You still have a duel to finish with this guy!" he yelled, as if she could hear him.

* * *

"Released… you?" Rose questioned.

"Yes, released me. I was within you as the goodness in your soul, but when that Keith died… you banished me into the deepest reaches of your soul, thinking only of Keith more than anything else…" the little girl placed a hand over her heart. "When you banished me, I was hurt; I didn't know what to do other than wait until I was found by those two men…" the girl answered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"…" Rose did not know how to answer. She suddenly became silent, feeling rage and sorrow all at once in her body. The two emotions clashed together, she was unsure of which should be dominant.

"You, Rose, I will assimilate into the deepest portion of your soul… we will become one whole, once more. I will forever lock up the memories of that Keith boy, those Signers that claim to be your friends, and lock up all thought of resistance…" the girl smiled with great maliciousness. In her voice was a very malefic intention, one that was almost undetectable by her crystal blue eyes.

"You can't be me if you cannot understand why I locked you away…" Rose muttered as she clenched her fists tightly. "You're not me… you're just an illusion!" she barked.

"I am you, you were once me. How is that so hard to understand, Rose?" the girl questioned, tilting her head like the innocent child she appeared to be. "I am your Inner Light, I am the happiness you seek… don't you wish to have eternal happiness?" the girl asked sweetly.

"No! Not the way you intend on it!" Rose shouted in resistance as the white flames slowly began to swallow her limbs. She cringed, feeling the sting of the flames. "I won't lose her… me, nor my soul!" she shouted, and the dragon roared weakly as it struggled to escape it's wall-bound prison.

"What…? Don't humans seek happiness? You were seeking happiness by taking vengeance for your friends and Keith… but I'm offering an easier way out, by quitting on this Duel…" the girl said about to reach out to Rose.

"No! I will find happiness my own way; I'll defeat that Levis… I'll beat him down, and regain my happiness through my own methods! I'll do it in the name of Keith, and… and…" she clenched her fists even tighter until her Signer Birthmark suddenly glowed with a mighty crimson.

"W-what the?" the girl said in surprise as black flames shot out from Rose's body, eliminating the white flames that attempted to swallow her.

"Happiness isn't attained the way you think it is!" Rose shouted as the black flames spread about, slowly eating away at the world of white and dying it into a world of black. "These flames burn with all my soul in it… because I have chosen to become a black flame!" she shouted as the flames were closing in upon Hellfire Dragon.

"You fool, you'll never be happy this way!"

"I never wanted to be happy in the way you want to make it… Happiness is achieved by bonds, not by loneliness! That is what that idiot Johnny has taught me! Keith taught me that also, but I forgot those very words of his after he died… I was so focused on getting vengeance by killing everyone, that I couldn't even remember the kind words he told me of friendship and bonds…" she clenched her fists even tighter, to a point that her palms began to bleed, but she didn't care. "I'll find my own way, so begone!" Rose shouted as the girl screamed in pain from the black flames swallowing the world around her. Hellfire Dragon reacted with a loud roar as it broke out of the flames of white.

"You'll… never be happy… I know this… because… I am… you…" the girl said with an almost distorted voice as she then became nothing more than a distant memory.

* * *

Black flames immediately burst out around Rose, and Hellfire Dragon roared mightily once again. "You thought you could make me surrender, didn't you?" she questioned angrily as Hellfire Dragon roared once more, back in its full prime.

Hellfire Dragon: 2100 Attack

Rose: 3000

Fabled Ragin: 1300 Attack

"Hmph, looks like she's broken free, brother…" Gemini White whispered.

"That's fairly obvious. All is well though, she cannot stop our plan…" Gemini Black grinned. "I still have one more attack, girl, you undoubtedly know this!" he pointed at his Arcana Force XIX – The Sun. "I command you to attack **Fabled Ragin**, my mighty creature!" the one-winged angel commanded as the mechanical angel pointed a single arm at Fabled Ragin. The arm shifted into a cannon that fired a large ray of light.

Arcana Force XIX – The Sun: 2900 Attack

Fabled Ragin roared a mighty battle cry as it withstood the attack, groaning in the process of surviving the attack. A slight bit of the cannon fire itself slipped past, flying at Rose, but Hellfire Dragon blocked it with its wings.

Rose: 1400

"I set one card facedown. Turn end, girl, let's see what you can do" Gemini Black smirked.

_Turn 5_

"Finally, I can attack!" Rose drew a new card, and then smirked at it. "I activate the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Kushano**! By discarding a Fabled Monster in my hand, I can add him from the graveyard to my hand!" she took a single card and placed it into the discard pile. Next, Fabled Kushano appeared on the field, grinning as he exchanged places with an unknown Fabled Monster.

"What was the point in that?" Gemini White raised an eyebrow.

"The discarded card was **The Fabled Catsith**! Through The Fabled Catsith's effect… I annihilate a single face-up card on the field!" Rose pointed at Arcana Force XIX – The Sun. She then smirked and pointed at Fabled Ragin, "I'll destroy my Fabled Ragin!" lightning struck down on the Monster, completely destroying it!

"What is this? Girl, have you gone insane?" Gemini Black raised an eyebrow.

"I think she's submitting to us…" Gemini White shrugged.

"You'll see in a moment! My Hellfire Dragon's effect activates! When a Monster on my side of the Field is destroyed by a card effect, I can draw one more card!" Rose proceeded to swipe another card from the top of her Deck. "I activate my **Pot of Avarice**! Through this card's effect, I take five Monsters in the graveyard, place them into my Deck, and shuffle. Next, I draw two cards" she instructed as Fabled Chawa, Fabled Ragin, Fabled Lurrie, The Fabled Catsith, and Fabled Ashenveil all ejected themselves from her discard pile. She placed the cards back in their proper places, and the Duel Disk shuffled her Deck.

"Brother, aren't you worried about letting her draw another couple of cards?" Gemini White looked at Gemini Black.

"I wouldn't even worry about it… Remember what hasn't happened yet" Gemini Black said with a malicious chuckle.

"Draw!' she swiped the top two cards from her Deck. She peeked at them, and then grinned at them. "I'll activate the effect of **The Fabled Nozoochee**! I discard, from my hand, **Fabled Soulkius** in order to Special Summon Nozoochee from my hand!" she commanded as a miniature python appeared on the field, laughing and smiling like a child.

Fabled Nozoochee: 1200 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 2

"I then proceed to Normal Summon **Fabled Kushano**! A single demon with glasses appeared on the field with a smirk as he opened his book.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"I'll tune the Level 2 The Fabled Nozoochee to the Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" three rings surrounded two orbs of light.

"Tch… not this thing again…" Gemini Black obviously didn't look too pleased.

"_Oh greedy one, rise from the depths of the earth_! Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing the same golden demon that she destroyed only a few seconds ago.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 5

"Don't forget the effect of Fabled Ragin and Hellfire Dragon!" she pointed at the two creatures on her field. "Fabled Ragin allows me to draw until there are two cards in my hand, and Hellfire Dragon gains 200 Attack Points!"

Hellfire Dragon: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 8

Rose swiped two more cards off the top of her deck. "I'll activate the effect of **Fabled Grimro**! By discarding her, I can add another Fabled from my Deck to my hand, so long as there's a Fabled Monster on my side of the Field" she instructed as a female demon appeared on the field, smiling as she vanished, and a card ejected itself from Rose's deck. "I'll add **Fabled Krus** to my hand!" she revealed the Fabled Monster newly added to her hand. "I now use the effect of my **Fabled Kushano** in the graveyard! By discarding my **Fabled Krus**, I can add him to my hand!" the baby demon and Fabled Kushano laughed as they swapped places.

"Tch, what kind of… demon is this person!" Gemini Black questioned with eyes wide in surprise.

"Through **Fabled Krus**' effect, I Special Summon a **Fabled** Monster from the graveyard, so I'll pick my **Fabled Raven**!" the grinning demon appeared once more with that terrible smile across its face.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

Hellfire Dragon: 2500 Attack

"Next, I use Fabled Raven's effect to discard a single card in my hand in order to boost him by a Level and by 200 Attack!" she took one of the two remaining cards in her hand and placed it into the discard pile. "Finally, I'll tune the Level 5 Fabled Ragin to the Level 3 Fabled Raven!" three rings surrounded the golden demon as five orbs of light burst from its body."_Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil!_ Synchro Summon!" a single black portal appeared on the field, revealing a black-armored demon that grinned with a devilish goatee on its face.

Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack

"I activate Fabled Valkyrus' Monster Effect! By discarding a single Fiend-type Monster in my hand, I draw once more!" she revealed a single Monster in her hand. "I'll discard my **Fabled Lurrie** to draw once more!" she placed the revealed Monster into her discard pile, and swiped the top card of her deck. "At that time, my **Fabled Lurrie**'s Monster Effect goes off! When discarded, he's Special Summoned onto the field!" she commanded as the miniature demon appeared once more.

Fabled Lurrie: 400 Defense / 200 Attack | Level 1

Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

The mighty Hellfire Dragon roared mightily as it was restored to its original glory, roaring with great pride as the black flames danced around it.

"Hmph, is that all you can possibly muster up, child? Your Monster is still unable to surpass its own Inner Light, so is there any point?" Gemini Black questioned.

"I'm not done with you brats just yet… she revealed the last card in her hand. "I use **Fabled Kushano**'s effect to discard **Fabled Krus** into the graveyard!"

"Did she just mention another copy of that Monster?" Gemini White's eyes widened in immediate surprise.

Both Fabled Krus and Fabled Kushano swapped places the very moment that Rose commanded it, and her graveyard shone with bright light once more. "Through the effect of my Fabled Krus, I can Special Summon another Fabled from the graveyard… this time I choose my **Fabled Raven**!" she commanded as the demon appeared on the field once more with a wide grin on his face.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

Hellfire Dragon: 3100 Attack / 2000 Defense

"Now, my soul returned to its former glory!" Rose said with some excitement as Fabled Raven and Fabled Valkyrus looked at each other with their wide grins. "I now Tune together the Level 8 **Fabled Valkyrus** to the Level 2 **Fabled Raven**!"

"A Level 10 Synchro Monster?" both the Gemini twins questioned and looked at one another.

"_Chilling shrieks fill the night as the master to the slaves takes a step onto the earth once again. Show them the might of your power!_" she chanted as two rings surrounded eight orbs of light. Suddenly, a chilling laughter echoed throughout the battle field as chilling black flames rose from the ground, swallowing the rings and orbs. Murmurs of a large being could be heard as it slowly rose from the ground. "_Rise_, **Fabled Leviathan**!" she instructed as a large throne came out from the dark hole, and then a large demon jumped out from the ground, appearing to be mostly red-armored with red hair as well. He appeared extremely tall with a devilish smile that complimented his wild red hair. Three tiny demons flew around his throne, as if cleaning it.

Fabled Leviathan: 3000 Attack / 2500 Defense | Level 10

"Tch…" Gemini Black cursed to himself before his eyes widened in realization. "NO!" he looked at Hellfire Dragon, the dragon roaring in mighty pride as black flames swirled around its body. The dragon appeared to grow slightly muscular as the black flames danced around its entire body, and slithered around his scales as if feeding the dragon more power. The flames died out, and the dragon roared loudly, causing Gemini White to flinch a little.

Hellfire Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2000 Defense

"I've surpassed your pathetic Inner Light Token, Gemini Black! But first, since it cannot be destroyed at the moment…" she pointed to Fabled Leviathan. "Battle! Fabled Leviathan attacks **Arcana Force XIX – The Sun**! _Doom Ray Influence_!" she commanded her mighty demon commander as he simply laughed, and took a few steps away from his throne, standing tall over the machine-like angel. The devil grinned as he then kicked the machine up to match his level of height, and then he swung a punch at the machine, completely shattering it as if it couldn't even put up a decent fight. Several shards of the machine rained down, some barely scratching the Gemini Twins as they tried to evade most of the larger ones.

Gemini White: 3900

Gemini Black: 3900

"Tch… she dealt us some damage… finally…" Gemini Black said with an upset tone.

"No one has ever dealt us damage before, in our lives…" Gemini White responded, flinching a little bit.

"Don't rest just yet! The battle has yet to be over!" Hellfire Dragon roared as it then charged right past Fabled Leviathan while the devil whooped in awe. "Hellfire Dragon attacks that Inner Light Token!" the black dragon and white dragon clashed in battle once more, each of them swinging their claws at one another, while the other dodged the attack. The black dragon launched a burst of black flames, but the white dragon avoided it, and then fired a blast of white flames. Hellfire Dragon ducked, avoiding the attack, and snaked underneath the imposter, rising up behind it. "FINISH THAT IMPOSTER!" Rose instructed as Hellfire Dragon launched another burst of black flames that completely enshrouded the Inner Light!

"Yeah! I knew you could do it, Rose!" Johnny shouted in excitement.

"Keep it up, you'll win!" Arianna cheered with joy.

"Good move there!" Yusei commented with a smile on his face.

"Tch, shut up, all of you!" Rose said, looking away from the Signers that cheered her on. She wasn't used to things like that, so that was her natural reaction.

Gemini White: 3700

Gemini Black: 3700

"To think our ace weapon was destroyed so soon…" Gemini White shrugged it off, patting his shoulder as he looked at Gemini Black.

"Tch… that's it… I say it's time to finish this bitch off…" Gemini Black panted, wiping the black flames away from his clothing, and dousing an ember off his wing.

"I dare you to try it, Levis" Rose said with a cold tone as she waved her hand dismissively. "It is your turn now, Levis."

_Turn 6_

"Draw!" Gemini White instructed as he drew his new card, and then smiled. "First, I activate the magic of this Spell card called 'Rebirth of Fate'! This card's effect…" two mechanical angels appeared on the field, the both of them shivering. "I remove from play two "Arcana Force" Monsters in the graveyard to revive another one. However, it's effects are negated during that turn" the two angels faded away, and a larger one revealed itself onto the field. "Be revived, Arcana Force XIX – The Sun!" the large angel shattered it's prison, humming lightly.

Arcana Force XIX – The Sun: 2900 Attack / 2900 Defense | Level 8

"Hmph, I killed it once, so I'll just keep on killing it!" Rose raised her fist.

"That is merely what you think, Rose…" Gemini White smiled as he revealed a single card in his hand. "I Summon **Arcana Force XVII - The Star**!" he commanded as a small angel appeared on the field, looking at Rose with empty-looking eyes.

Attack: 2700 / Defense: 2700 | Level 4 | Tuner

"What the…?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "It's over…"

"Those conditions… A Fallen Angel, Gemini White?" Gemini Black questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Fallen Angel!" Yusei's eyes widened.

"That could only mean…" Arianna's eyes widened in horror as she could only imagine the horrifying, terrible power that the white Levis was about to unleash.

"That if she does nothing… she's doomed!" Johnny's eyes widened in despair at the mere thought of it.

"That is correct…" Gemini White chuckled softly as the black feathers floated, leaving behind the white feathers. The black feathers danced around, creating a formation of four rings that surrounded eight singular black feathers.

"Wait, I thought they were always Level 11?" Johnny questioned.

"Not all of them, child…" Gemini Black grinned. "Do you remember Corvx's words? We Fallen Angels are all ranked, not that it should matter much to a feeble mind like yours…"

"Yeah, and he mentioned that he was second-class in terms of ranks… why do you ask?" Johnny questioned.

"If you must know… We, as twin entities named 'Gemini', take up the very first Rank. As such, we are one of the mightiest warriors that our God has to offer. You should be proud that you're fighting a class such as ours… Much less the fact that she's confident enough to take on _two_ soldiers of the highest rank at once" Gemini Black answered with a smirk across his face.  
"Being Rank 1, we are our God's right hand men; he will always come to us for a decision… So thus, we are the ones that decide your fate, humans" Gemini White pointed to himself.

"Wait, you were the ones that decided the assault on the humans?" Johnny asked accusingly.

"Since you asked so nicely, I'll tell you myself…" Gemini White began to chuckle as darkness began to envelope the area, and an artificial night sky was born.

"We were indeed the ones who planned for this attack, we were the ones who told our God to annihilate every last one of you sickening beings…" Gemini Black said with a devilish tone of voice.

"It is merely because you are all so interestingly…"

"Stupid."

"All of you choose to fight one another, and choose to evolve on the wrong path…"

"While we, those whom have watched over you, have to clean up your mess, just because you wanted to move on forward."

"We've witnessed your planet become wiped clean by your evolution over hundreds of times. Hell, we even knew what would happen in the battle of the Earthbound Gods and Signer Dragons" Gemini White smiled.

"Will the two of you just shut up already?" Rose asked with annoyance gushing through her veins. Black flames surrounded her body as she watched the two with only hate in her eyes.

"However…" Gemini Black started.

"We had a new plan" Gemini White finished with a smirk.

"We decided that if you humans wished to evolve, then we'll pit the planet's only hopes against one another: we'd take control over the destinies of the Signers and twist them to our needs" Gemini Black began to chuckle malevolently once again.

"To do so, we needed to tug at your heartstrings, as well as guide you in certain directions… It all started with…" Gemini White looked at Yusei, but then his eyes immediately shot over to Rose.

"You, girl, are the one that we began toying with" Gemini Black admitted with that malevolent chuckle of his.

"You… toyed with me?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "I'm already aware of that, you pit me against the other Signers in hopes that we'd kill one another" she said while crossing her arms. "This isn't any news to me, so proceed with your turn, Gemini White."

"What a stupid, stupid girl you are…" Gemini Black shook his head.

"That wasn't where we started toying with you, Rose. You were the easiest, by far…" Gemini White said softly as he suddenly vanished and appeared before her.

"Stay away from me!" she was about to push Gemini White, but he grabbed her arms in a single fluid motion with one hand. His other hand then gently fell upon her cheek, and his sweet smile turned into a malefic grin.

"We started with your heart, by first eliminating Keith. Yes, that was no accident; we were the ones who initially planned to get him killed in a way that you'd find it fitting for your black flames…" Gemini White gently whispered.

"You… you what?" Rose's eyes filled with anger and she struggled to break her arms free. In a single move, she swung her leg at Gemini White's head, successfully landing the kick, but to no avail apparently.

"Girl, we made sure that he died in a blaze, we were the ones that influenced another human into doing what his Id first told him to do: to burn someone's house down" Gemini Black began to explain.

Gemini White looked at Rose once more "So, he followed the instinct that overtook his Ego and Superego, and thus, he lit that entire house on fire, effectively killing that man you loved…"

"Shut up! Shut up! I don't believe a single word you're saying!" Rose shouted as she broke free from Gemini White's grip. Gemini White immediately leaped back, floating as his single wing flapped gently.

"Now that we've given you the truth… it is about time for you to be buried along with that truth" he said gently as a figure slowly began to descend from the night sky. "_With the wheel of fortune in your hands, spin it as you please, oh mighty dark angel. We are bound to your rules; we are bound to how you wish to play the game of life… Come before us!_" descending was what appeared to be a dark-skinned young man with light blue eyes, a pair of white wings, and half of a charm in his hand. "_Descend from the highest plane to this land_, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini White**!" The man-looking fallen angel's wings unfolded mightily and he shouted a loud battle cry as his black robes flapped with the gust of wind.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini White: 3300 Attack / 3500 Defense | Level 12

"That's… Gemini…" Johnny muttered.

"Don't you dare think that Gemini is limited to just this form… As we have split into two, there are also two Fallen Angels…"Gemini Black smirked as he licked his lips with a malefic intent in his eyes.

"I activate the effect of Gemini White! When he's Star Summoned, I can take a Fairy-type Monster in the graveyard and Special Summon it!" Gemini White revealed the monster in his graveyard. "I'll take up my **Arcana Force XVII – The Star**!" he commanded as the miniature mechanical angel appeared on the field.

Arcana Force – The Star: 2700 Attack / 2700 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

"Now the effect of Arcana Force XVII – The Star activates!" suddenly, the card revealed a bright light as it began to spin immediately. "Now, call the shots. Where will it land, what effect shall it gain?" Gemini White grinned.

"RIGHT THERE!" she commanded as the card landed head-down.

"Aw… that means I cannot conduct my Battle Phase…" Gemini White shrugged.

"Why so casual, brother?" Gemini Black raised an eyebrow.

"Because… I have this game locked. So long as The Star is face-up, anything with more Attack Points than him cannot conduct battle, even my own Monsters. Let's say… it's the star of protection to those weaker than it…" Gemini White grinned and then looked to Yusei Fudo. "Now, who am I thinking of that attempts to embody that?"

Yusei muttered to himself. There was nothing he could do to help Rose, especially in the situation she now stood in.

"Turn end" Gemini White said softly, brushing some hair away from his face.

_Turn 7_

"My turn!" she swiped a new card off the top of her Deck. "Since I cannot conduct battle with my Hellfire Dragon, nor my Fabled Leviathan, I'll end my turn."

_Turn 8_

"DRAW!" Gemini Black swiped the top card of his deck. "I'll activate… **Reverse of Arcana**! Through this card's effect, I get to change the effect of a face-up Arcana Force, and change its control to me!" He then smirked and looked at Arcana Force XVII – The Star. "Now, would you mind giving him over to me, brother?"

"Sure, why would I mind?" Gemini White smiled as The Star vanished, and reappeared on Gemini Black's side of the Field, appearing to grow with each passing second.

"Now, The Star's new effect is applied… While face-up on the Field, I can select 1 Monster on the Field and copy its Level…" he began to chuckle a little bit. "I'll copy the Level of **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini White**!" the little mechanical angel began to buzz and hum as it increased its size until it was larger than the other two monsters on the field! "However, using this effect disallows me the ability to conduct my Battle Phase, as well as Summon Monsters…" he shook his head, still laughing.

Arcana Force XVII – The Star: 2700 Attack / 2700 Defense | Level 12 | Tuner

"I now activate **Arcana Force**! Through this card's effect, I can select a single Arcana Force in my Deck, and Special Summon it. However, I have to lower one 'Arcana Force' Monster's equal to the one I selected. Until the End Phase, the Special Summoned Arcana Force Monster's effects are negated!"

"What the hell you trying to pull now?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "Wait…" her eyes widened as she was slowly coming to realization of what her opponent was going to do.

"Yes, girl, you understand, but it is too late now!" Gemini Black began to laugh malevolently as he revealed a single Monster card in his Deck. "From the Deck, I Special Summon my **Arcana Force IX – The Hermit**!" he commanded as a mechanical angel appeared on the field with a large shell used for what appeared to be hiding. The angel took out a spear and held up the shell like a shield, and buzzed loudly.

Arcana Force IX – The Hermit: 1900 Attack / 1900 Defense | Level 4

Arcana Force XVII – The Star: Level 8 | Tuner

"Tch, I knew that that was what you were aiming for…"

"And now… I'll Correct the Level 4 Hermit to the Level 8 Star!" the feathers began to dance as the Monsters entered a vortex of darkness. "It is over for you, girl…"

"When the two Angels of Destiny are together…"

"Nothing can stop their plans!" both Gemini White and Black exclaimed with excitement.

"_A fallen light, a rising darkness, the two take on the form of this mighty being. Manipulate the Wheel of Fortune as much as you please, mighty warrior of Iblis._" Four white feathers danced around while eight rings of white feathers spun around the four singular feathers. "_Descend from the realm of God, _**Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini Black**!" the black Levis laughed as he immediately leaped towards the sky, floating midair whilst a figure slowly began to descend from the skies. Of equal height and equal appearance to the other Fallen Angel, this one appeared to be wearing white robes while having true dark skin. The eyes of this one were golden-yellow, and he held a long scythe in his hand.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini Black: 3500 Attack / 3300 Defense | Level 12

"The effect of Gemini Black immediately activates! Once per turn, I flip a coin and call it. If it lands where I think it'll land, then I can destroy a Monster on the opponent's side of the Field and inflict damage to the opponent equal to its Level x 100!" Gemini Black immediately raised a hand, pointing it directly at Fabled Leviathan. Suddenly, a coin appeared in Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini White's hand. "I declare… heads!"

"What trickery is this!" Rose demanded.

"The effect of Gemini White now activates… when a card effect involving a coin activates, I can dictate where it'll land, rather than actually flipping the coin… Thus, I decide what destiny has in store for you" Gemini White answered with a smile as he floated towards his Fallen Angel of the Stars. "So now, since my brother called heads… obviously I'll call… heads." The very moment that the word come out of his lips, the black energy shot forth from the other Fallen Angel's hand, immediately annihilating the devil that stood before them.

The black energy didn't stop there; it flew at Rose, who tried to avoid it by leaping out of the way. The impact of the energy knocked her off her balance, and made her fall to her knee. "Tch…" she muttered to herself as a red aura appeared around her body.

Rose: 400 Life Points

"ROSE!" Johnny shouted.

"Are you alright!" Arianna seemed worried.

"Be careful out there, Rose!" Yusei warned. He then looked at the twins, seeing that they had vanished already. "What the?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Where are you two cowards?" Rose demanded, looking for the twins that she was fighting with earlier.

"We have become one with ourselves… temporarily for this Duel," the black robed Fallen Angel answered with a sweet smile on his face.

"The strength we are still recovering allows us to do this, at most. When we've recovered to full strength, we won't need pathetic human hosts, and then…" the white robed Fallen Angel smirked.

"We'll dispose of whatever human we've come into possession of."

"Wait, you said what?" Yusei's eyes shot open as he heard that. _If what they're saying is true… Then Akiza…_

"Yes, Yusei Fudo… We'll _dispose_ of the garbage we had to possess in order to physically affect the world" Gemini Black answered with a smirk across his face.

"All of you… shut up!" Rose shouted, everyone now looking at her. "This battle… is between me and those damned twins… that's it… The rest of you in the peanut gallery, stay quiet or I have my Hellfire Dragon attack _you_ instead!"

Johnny sweat dropped nervously, "B-but we're worried about you losing…"

"Do I ever lose?" Rose questioned before looking at the twins.

"Well… not that I'd know of… other than the one where I beat you out."

Rose immediately glared at Johnny, "Shut up, you! You drew into a lucky card that you needed right there at that moment, otherwise you wouldn't have won!"

"Is that really it?" Johnny laughed.

"Don't make me kick your sorry ass!" Rose shouted.

"Just get back to your Duel, alright? I'm sure we can Duel again after this is done" Johnny chuckled with a grin on his face.

"…" Rose turned around with a scoff. "You don't tell me what to do…" she then revealed her **Fabled Leviathan** card in the graveyard. "I now activate his effect. When he's destroyed, I take three Fabled Monsters from the graveyard and add them to my hand" she instructed as an entire library opened up in front of her eyes, listing all of her Fabled Monsters to not just her, but also to the twin Fallen Angels. "I'll select… **Fabled Raven**, **Fabled Krus**, and **Fabled Grimro**" Rose placed the three Monsters into her hand.

"It doesn't matter, Rose, your Life Points have reached 400. When it is my turn once more, you're finished…" Gemini Black chuckled a little bit.

"You honestly think I won't be able to put up a fight? How stupid of you to think such a thing…" Rose spat in the other direction.

"Turn End."

_Turn 9_

"Draw!" she swiped the top card of her Deck.

"At this time, Gemini White's effect activates! When there's a face-up Gemini Black on the Field, you must reveal the card you drew so that we can confirm it" Gemini White instructed with a grin.

"All plans are pointless before us. We are the divine conspirators of this Duel, our powers are unmatched!" Gemini Black laughed as he raised his scythe.

Rose revealed the card she drew. "Pot of Avarice" she said with a dull voice. "However, now I activate Pot of Avarice! With this card's effect, I'll return **Fabled Leviathan**, **Fabled Ragin**, **Fabled Valkyrus**, **The Fabled Nozoochee**, and **Fabled Krus**!" she placed them into their proper Decks, shuffled her Main Deck, and swiped the two cards on top of her Deck, revealing them both to be a Spell and a Monster Card. "The cards I drew were **The Fabled Cerburrel** and **Fiend Guardna**" she instructed as then her graveyard suddenly shone a bright light. "I now use the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Kushano**! I'll discard my **The Fabled Cerburrel** in order to add him back to my hand!" Kushano and the little three-headed dog swapped places immediately, and her graveyard shone to life once more. "The effect of Fabled Cerburrel now activates! When this card is discarded, it is Special Summoned back to the Field!" the little three-headed puppy appeared on the field, growling and barking cutely as it wagged its tail.

The Fabled Cerburrel: 1000 Attack / 600 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **Fiend Guardna**!" a demonic soldier appeared on the field, roaring as he raised his shield.

Fiend Guardna: 0 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 6

"This card can be Normal Summoned if the opponent controls Monsters that are stronger than my own!" Rose explained as then two rings burst from The Fabled Cerburrel. "I'll my Level 2 The Fabled Cerburrel to the Level 6 Fiend Guardna!" six orbs of light aligned as the two rings surrounded the aligned lights. "_Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil!_ Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing a black-armored demon with a devilish smile. "Rise from the depths, **Fabled Valkyrus**!"

"Sorry, but now… I activate my Monster Effect!" Gemini White began to laugh as he then pointed at Fabled Valkyrus. "Now, I flip a coin and call a single result… if I am right, then I negate the Summon of a Synchro Monster and destroy it. If I am somehow to be wrong… then I take damage equal to that Synchro Monster's Level x 200" Gemini White explained, smiling as sweetly as he could.

"W-what?" Rose's eyes shot open in surprise as Gemini White began to chuckle a little bit.

"Gemini Black's Monster Effect also activates at this time. When an effect is activated that involves the toss of a coin, I can immediately declare what it'll land on" Gemini Black grinned. "I declare… heads… do you do the same as well, brother?"

"Why yes, yes I do. I was just thinking of that" Gemini White smiled as white energy lashed forth at Fabled Valkyrus, immediately annihilating it.

"Tch…" Rose looked at the remaining cards in her hand. "I'll activate the effect of my grave-bound **Fabled Soulkius**! I take two cards in my hand and send them to the graveyard in order to Special Summon him" she instructed as she placed Fabled Kushano and another card into her graveyard, the large, muscular demon appearing on her side of the field with a loud roar.

Fabled Soulkius: 2200 Attack / 2100 Defense | Level 6

"I'll end my turn…" Rose said with spite.

_Turn 10_

"Draw!" Gemini White drew his card, only smirking. "I now activate the magic of a spell card called **Wingbeat of the Fallen**! When I control a "Fallen Angel of the Stars" Monster on the field, I can return all cards on the opponent's side of the field back to their deck!"

"From the field to the deck!" Rose questioned with horror.

"What the? With that…" Johnny gulped hard.

"This Duel has been decided by our god, you fool! How can you even think of fighting destiny?" Gemini Black began to laugh as Gemini White's wing began to beat hard, releasing several large gusts of wind. Hellfire Dragon and Fabled Soulkius both roared as they vanished, their cards returning to their proper locations.

"And now, if you even so much as bother to Synchro Summon your precious little Hellfire Dragon…" Gemini Black began to chuckle even deeper.

"You'll have to go through me" Gemini White pointed at himself with a smirk.

"This… this can't be…" Rose said with a whisper as a chilling air passed by her.

"Don't despair, little girl, we've said it before and we'll say it again…"

"We were made with the purpose of wiping out all human existence…"

"Signers are not necessary in this world."

"Synchro Monsters are not necessary in this world."

"Your humane existence, and your sickening evolutionary path must be wiped clean from this universe!" the twin Fallen Angels said as Gemini White raised his blade.

"Now then girl…feel the despair! Watch as the new world is born from The Void!" Gemini White threw his blade at Rose.

"Not yet! I activate the graveyard effect of my **Fiend Guardna**! While in the graveyard, I can remove him from play along with my Fabled Valkyrus to turn all damage to zero until the end of my next turn!" Rose reacted as the blade drew closer to her. Suddenly, a shield appeared before her with the vague image of Fabled Valkyrus looking down at her with its devilish smile.

Rose: 400

"Hmph, you saved yourself yet another turn…" Gemini Black shook his head. "You humans are pathetic when put under pressure…"

"You result in trying to fight back against despair, but you know very well that you cannot."

"Only because…"

"You refuse to acknowledge the higher powers at work here" both Fallen Angels said at the same time.

"No… we fight because we know what's right! Where is the logic in 'cleansing' the world by killing all of mankind?" Johnny argued.

"Your argument is invalid, child, you do not know the workings of the divine" Gemini Black spat.

"If you could understand _why_ we need to do what we decided upon, you would most likely understand us…" Gemini White sighed before looking at the silent Rose. He smiled, "Turn End."

_Turn 12_

"My turn…" Rose drew her next card, feeling slightly shaken. Not just once had her soul been wiped off the field in her Duels, but now it was twice. "I…" she breathed heavily, feeling slight pain in her body as she revealed the card that she drew. "I drew… **Monster Reincarnation**..." she answered as she looked at the remaining cards in her hand. A single Fabled Krus, the Monster Reincarnation she drew, and her Fabled Grimro. _Is there… any possible way to win this Duel…?_

"Heh, it's over for you, girl. Your stalling was made meaningless, since you can't do much with those remaining cards in your hand. Fabled Grimro, a Monster that can search a single Fabled Monster from the Deck to your hand _if_ there's a face-up Fabled Monster on your field… Then there's Fabled Krus, who can Special Summon another Level 4 or Lower Fabled Monster from the graveyard to your hand. Then finally… there's Monster Reincarnation, a card that won't do you any good in this situation. It's easier if you give up, little girl…" Gemini Black grinned.

"I guess it would be easier…" Rose bit her bottom lip, having lost the fiery soul she once had to the cold air of the artificial night.

"Rose, what the hell are you talking about!" Rose immediately turned, seeing Johnny who was looking at her with a fire in his own eyes. "Quitting? Giving up? None of that sounds like the Rose I know!" he shouted.

"What the hell would you know? You don't know anything about me, you only know me from the pain we've both felt from losing someone!" Rose argued back, seeing an image of Keith once more. The black-haired older adolescent smiled down on her placing a hand over her shoulder, his lips syncing with Johnny's words now.

"Rose, I know from you that one Duel! Just one Duel can tell someone of their pain, their agony, their history! I know that you're _nothing_ like a quitter, you're not a coward! You're willing to fight… That's what your Monsters represent: a will to never back down, to always fight on, even when there's a tough fight!"

"You…"

"Didn't you say it for yourself! Didn't you say that you'd beat this guy!"

"I… I did…"

"Then get up! Get up and fight, get up and win!" Johnny's words echoed through Rose's mind as the very image of Keith slowly faded away.

"I… understand…" Rose blinked before looking at Gemini White and Gemini Black once more. "You two… You heard them right, I'm not giving up on this battle! Not until I've finished you off, once and for all!"

"…" Gemini White remained silent as the exchange between Johnny and Rose merely echoed through his mind. _They… grew a bond in that Duel…?_ He looked at Johnny, and then back at Rose, seeing their Signer Marks glow with a bright light! _I see… so this is… human bonds…_

"I'll activate the Spell Card called **Monster Reincarnation**! With this card, I discard a card and add a Monster from the graveyard to my hand. I'll discard **Fabled Krus**! However, with other Monster in the graveyard alongside her, I'll re-add her back to my hand!"

"Re-adding?" Gemini Black questioned.

"And now, the effect of **Fabled Krus** now activates! When discarded, I take a single Level 4 or Lower Fabled Monster and Special Summon it onto my side of the Field!" the graveyard shone with a bright light as a single demon rose out of it, laughing. "Be revived, **Fabled Raven**!"

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

The red eyes of the demon glowed, as he kept on chuckling. "I'll use **Fabled Grimro**'s Monster effect, by throwing her into the grave; I can add a Fabled Monster from the Deck to my hand! Come to my hand, my demon, **Fabled Ravi**!" she added the Monster from the Deck to her hand. "Next, I use the effect of **Fabled Ravi**! By taking a single Fabled in my hand and ditching it into the graveyard I can Special Summon him!" a single red-coated demon chuckled with his large grin as he appeared on the field, taking the Fabled Krus and threw it into the discard pile. "Now, Fabled Krus' effect activates! When discarded by a card effect, I can Special Summon a single Level 4 or Lower Fabled Monster that was discarded during this turn. Be revived, **Fabled Kushano**!" she commanded as the demon appeared onto the field, roaring as he pushed his glasses up.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

Fabled Ravi: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2

"Now, I'll tune the Level 2 Fabled Ravi to the Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" three rings surrounded two golden orbs of light. "_Oh greedy one, rise from the depths of the earth_!" the light exploded, revealing the golden demon once again.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 5

"At this time, my brother's effect now activates!" Gemini Black laughed. "Are you really that stupid! A Synchro Summon is rendered worthless around my brother! Now, brother, I declare heads! Will you do the same?"

Gemini White remained silent, staring at the Signer that he and his brother were fighting.

"Well? Come on, make a selection already! You already know that we win if you negate that Summon!" Gemini Black argued, but his brother didn't respond. "ANSWER ME ALREADY!" he shouted.

"…I declare… _Tails_!"

"You what?"

"I declare Tails, therefore I am wrong!" a white energy surrounded Gemini White, and he grunted in slight pain along with Gemini Black.

Gemini White: 2700

Gemini Black: 2700

"What… what's wrong with you, brother! Why did you declare the very opposite result!" Gemini Black looked to his brother with a panicked look.

"I… I don't know why…" Gemini White responded, looking away from his brother.

"Don't do it again, you may make us lose at that rate!" Gemini Black argued.

"I… I understand…" Gemini White responded with a false smile across his face.

"Since Fabled Ragin's Synchro Summon was successful, my **Fabled Ravi** activates his effect, removing **Fabled Kushano** from play, since he was the Tuner for this Synchro Summon" the book-wielding demon disappeared into a black vortex, nowhere to be seen again. "Next, Fabled Ragin's effect activates! When he's Synchro Summoned, and I have less than two cards, I draw until I'm holding that many cards!" she drew two cards, and revealed them. "I've drawn **Fabled Lurrie**, and **Fabled Kushano**!"

"W-what is this! She's… making a comeback!" Gemini White's eyes widened with surprise.

"I now activate the effect of my **Fabled Raven**! I discard my **Fabled Kushano** to tune him up a single Level!" Fabled Raven roared as he increased in size.

Fabled Raven: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Now, I'll tune the Level 5 Fabled Ragin with the Level 3 Fabled Raven!" three rings surrounded a line of five orbs as they all glowed with a miraculous power. "_My flames of hate, arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand before us with your creation-shaking flames!_" black flames began to dance around the field as the light imploded, revealing a dark-scaled dragon once more, Rose's very soul! "Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" the dragon roared mightily as the black flames danced around its body.

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

Suddenly, Rose's Signer Mark glowed brightly, and she looked at it. _What I once thought to be the symbol of my hate… No. It's no longer that…_ She looked at Johnny, Yusei, Arianna, and then looked at the Signer Mark, seeing a shadowy image of her fallen beloved. _This is… a symbol of my moving on. This is… the very moment I stand, and remove this mask…_

"Heads, brother! DECLARE IT!" Gemini Black shouted.

"I declare Tails" Gemini White responded, crossing his arms as the white energy surrounded the twins.

Gemini White: 1100

Gemini Black: 1100

"WHY! WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS?" Gemini Black questioned.

"Because I've finally seen it… I've finally seen why these humans continue to stand and fight, no matter what. I've seen why these humans are at the very pinnacle of their evolution…" Gemini White answered, crossing his arms.

"What… what are you talking about? Have you gone soft on these humans!" Gemini Black questioned with his eyes wide in surprise.

"No. I am merely allowing us to finally be free of this. The humans have proved to us that they've evolved… let them go on to their future, and allow them to prove it to the higher-ups" Gemini White answered, smiling widely.

"No… no… no… NO!"

"I activate the effect of my **Fabled Kushano** from the graveyard!"

"What?" Gemini Black looked at Rose once more.

"I'll discard **Fabled Lurrie** in order to add Kushano directly into my hand" she instructed as a miniature demon appeared onto the field anyway.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 1

Hellfire Dragon: 2900 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"What does it matter? Your dragon won't reach our power! When it's my turn… I'll finish you off myself!"

"Who said there will be a next turn?" Rose questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"I've finally taken the road I needed to go… and… I have to say… it's odd" Rose shrugged, and then she looked at the sky. "Fighting for the future, standing up for what's right… none of that was the current me" she placed a hand over her heart. "However… I think this crevice is finally gone… Keith… Thank you so much" she said as her Signer Mark exploded with a bright radiance. A blank card suddenly appeared in her hand, and then she looked at the twin Fallen Angels with a look of seriousness. "I'll finish you off… on this turn… to save the future!" she commanded as the roars of the Crimson Dragon suddenly echoed from her Signer Mark. "It's time… _Distortion Synchro_!" she commanded as a vortex ripped open, revealing Fabled Kushano as it tore itself into three rings.

"Wait… Distortion Synchro!" Gemini Black's eyes widened in surprise. "What kind of power… is being presented to us?"

"Distortion Synchro… is apparently when you send, to the graveyard, a Tuner from the removed from play pile, and remove from play the Materials from this side of creation, the current Field…" she pointed at Fabled Lurrie and Hellfire Dragon, "that would be these two."

"And then…?"

"A Distort Synchro Summon is then made possible" Rose explained as nine orbs of light then aligned with the three rings of golden light. "_Hatred appear in your truest form, and rise above the pain and sorrows! File through here as your mightiest form is finally revealed! Shake creation with your powerful radiance!_" the light slowly began to expand as the nine stars entered a vortex of darkness while the three rings merely vanished, leaving a lone light on the field.

"Could this be…" Yusei looked at his Signer Mark as it suddenly vanished.

"What the?" Johnny's mark also vanished.

"Rose is… calling for our power?" Arianna questioned as her Signer Mark also suddenly vanished.

On Rose's back, the Crimson Dragon's birthmark appeared whole, glowing with a bright power as black flames danced and waved, spiraling all around her body. A crimson stain slowly infected the flames as the roars of the Crimson Dragon echoed all around the field. The black flames that were mixed with crimson flew towards the lone light, spiraling around as it released a massive power surge, pushing both Gemini White and Gemini Black back.

"What… kind of power… is this?" Gemini Black's eyes widened in surprise as Rose then looked at him with a fierce look in her eyes.

Her eyes glowed red as the flames became still, and the light on the field had slowly vanished, revealing a pair of large, black-armored arms with razor sharp claws waiting at the end. A large, crimson body with several white spikes running across its spine, along with a huge pair of black wings with crimson scales scattered around on the wings, giving it a ruby-colored glow effect. It also had a pair of large legs with flexible-looking talons for feet, and a long neck with an armored look to it along with a large head with crimson-colored eyes full of anger and hate. The blank card in Rose's hand finally revealed its details, showing the image of the dragon that now joined her on the battlefield. "Distort Synchro! Come forth, **Crimson Hellblaze Dragon**!" she commanded as the dragon roared mightily, and its wings unfolded, revealing how massive they were. Its tail swung, revealing a black tail with a jagged trident shape at the end of its tail, and the dragon took a step forward, roaring with might as it echoed through the artificial night.

Crimson Hellblaze Dragon: 3200 Attack / 2700 Defense | Level 12

"W-what the… what is this!" Gemini Black questioned, backing away with a fearful look in his eyes. "BROTHER! USE YOUR EFFECT! NOW!"

"I cannot activate my effect if the opponent's Monster has higher Attack than my own Life Points" Gemini White answered without a bit of remorse.

"This is not just my power! This is the power of the Crimson Dragon… as well as Keith!" Rose answered with a loud voice while the Crimson Dragon's birthmark glowed brightly on her back. Her new dragon took to the sky, its wings folding in as it took on a jet-like formation. "Battle!"

"Woman, have you gone insane! The both of us are stronger than your Monster, it cannot scratch us!" Gemini Black retorted.

"Is that so?" Rose asked with a grin across her face. "When this Monster declares an attack on an opponent, during the Damage Step, I can discard a Tuner Monster to increase the power of this Monster equal to the attack power of the Tuner I discarded, until the End Phase!"

"What did you say?" Gemini Black questioned once more. "So… is that why you allowed yourself to have that Fabled Kushano in your hand?"

"Precisely," was all she had to say as she then pointed at her dragon, "Crimson Hellblaze Dragon, attack Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini Black!"

"I won't allow it! I activate the effect of Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini Black! When a Monster declares an attack, I can negate the battle!"

"Crimson Hellblaze Dragon's Monster effect activates! When he declares battle, and the opponent activates a Monster Effect, a Spell, or a Trap Card, I can negate it!"

"You can what?"

"GO! Crimson Hellblaze Dragon, **Scorching Distort Flare**!" she commanded as she revealed Fabled Kushano in her hand, and discarded it. The black dragon roared as it charged towards Gemini Black, releasing a blast of black flames that were stained with a crimson coloring as well! Gemini Black blocked the attack with his scythe, seemingly appearing to win.

Crimson Hellblaze Dragon: 4300 Attack

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini Black: 3500 Attack

"I WON'T LOSE OUT TO A HUMAN! I CANNOT LOSE OUT TO SOMETHING AS PATHETIC AS A SIGNER DRAGON, MUCH LESS AN EVOLVED ONE! I WON'T… I WONT'T ACKNOWLEDGE THIS POWER OF YOURS!" Gemini Black shouted as the black flames ate away at his scythe, eventually swallowing his arms! "You cannot possibly… allow them to do this, can you brother!" Gemini Black looked to his brother pleadingly.

"You only ask for my assistance when you're in dire need, and yet not once have you done the same for me. We're judging these humans, when we ourselves cannot band together like they have? Just look at Rose right now…" Gemini White looked at the human girl. "The marks on her back, the Crimson Dragon's birthmark… it is a sign that they're giving her their strength so that she can win. If that isn't a step towards evolution, then I don't know what is." Gemini White then looked at his brother once more with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "As you'd always say… 'Tis be your own problem'" Gemini White answered as the black flames completely swallowed Gemini Black.

"I… CAN'T… LOSE!" he shouted as the black flames slowly faded away, leaving nothing in its fiery wake.

Gemini Black: 300

Gemini White: 300

"Hm, a fine job you've done, human" Gemini White commented with a smile. "Now, I know your dragon has the ability to attack twice per Battle Phase. So… finish it. I've seen this moment coming for a very long time" he said as he bowed.

"Firstly… why the hell did you help me?" Rose questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Do you feel the need to question it?"

"Yes."

"It is because… for so long, the humans have been proving to me that they _could_ indeed evolve, but you were going the wrong direction. My brother, Gemini Black, convinced me that there was no other way we could alter history to fix you, nor could we find any way to erase the existence of Momentum and Zero Reverse, even when ZONE took a stab at it" Gemini White began, looking at the artificial night sky above his head. "We Fallen Angels are born to eliminate the human race, but not all of us are truly interested in doing just that… We're doing this for our own reasons" he then looked down to Rose, his young face slow turning decrepit. "My reason… is to see human evolution before my eyes, and you've done it during this Duel. Johnny, Yusei, Arianna, Rose… you four, as Signers, may be the possible answer that we couldn't find…"

"If we're the answer, then can't you tell your God to call off the attack?" Yusei questioned, taking a few steps forward.

"It is impossible, Yusei Fudo. Our God has already made up his mind, and is willing to influence the others to continue their mission if he feels that they're falling away from the mission at hand… You can blame Gemini Black for our God's conviction. We are the God's right-hand men, he will listen to us whenever he feels like he needs a new decision" the Fallen Angel answered.

"How come! We haven't done anything, and we can still change!"

"He cannot be stopped, Yusei Fudo. He has already started up the very weapon that will eliminate this plane of existence…" Gemini White's face finally became old and wrinkly, smiling as best as he could. "My time has come… I cannot push this any further… Yusei Fudo, the answer lies within your bonds… Use it, and save your friend named Akiza… She will be the answer you need" Gemini White bowed his head.

"Wait, what do you mean!"

"I cannot tempt fate any further. I have given you all I can say…" Gemini White slowly began to vanish. "Now, Rose… finish this…"

"Fine" Rose looked at Crimson Hellblaze Dragon, who seemed to understand what was going on. The dragon roared as Rose raised her hand, "Battle! Crimson Hellblaze Dragon attacks Fallen Angel of the Stars – Gemini White!" The dragon took heed of her command, roaring as it launched itself at the Fallen Angel.

_Akiza… is the answer I need?_ Yusei rubbed his chin, trying to think about that sentence as the dragon pierced through the vanishing Fallen Angel.

"Thank you…" the Fallen Angel exploded with epic proportions as Crimson Hellblaze Dragon soared towards the artificial night sky, unfolding its massive wings as it roared loudly.

Gemini White: 0

Gemini Black: 0

"This Duel is over now…" Rose scoffed as her dragon slowly vanished back into the new card now on her Duel Disk. _This is the power of bonds, huh? Hmph, I can't believe I've fallen so low that I've had to resort to using this power…_ She then thought of Keith's words on how friendship would succeed any obstacle in the way. The birthmarks all returned to their proper owner, and Johnny grinned, running up behind Rose.

"YOU DID IT!" he shouted behind her. Rose immediately turned around and gave Johnny a solid punch to the gut.

"Never… **ever** shout and stand behind me, unless I'm leaving you behind to rot in your grave…" Rose said with a threatening voice.

"Er…" Johnny sweat dropped, chuckling a little bit. _Dang, you think she'd lighten up after that… Oh well, 'least I'm used to her punches now._

"You did it!" Arianna applaused for Rose's success, smiling as she threw her arms around Rose. Rose looked at the girl, and shook her head with a light chuckle.

"I guess I did succeed…" Rose said before looking at the disappearing night sky. _What that little girl said... that I'll never be happy..._ She looked around at her cheering comrades before placing a hand over her heart. _This feeling in my heart for these people... could I perhaps be... 'happy'...?_

"Interesting... someone muttered, watching from the window of a nearby building. "Quite interesting... That Signer managed to pull off a victory..." the female muttered before looking at Johnny. Her violet orbs widened at the site of the boy "This one..." she whispered to herself before beginning to walk away from the window with a mysterious silence.

"Huh?" Johnny looked up at the building, only managing to see a silhouette of the girl's dark brown hair. "Who the heck was that up there?" he muttered to himself, raising an eyebrow as his curiosity arose from it. "Hey guys, I'll be right back... don't come get me" Johnny looked to his Signer friends, who all raised an eyebrow at him as he ran into the building. _Why am I trying to find out who that person is? What could I gain from solving that mystery? Ah well, I guess I'll find out who they are..._

* * *

Author's Note: Again, my girlfriend inspired me to write this. :D

Quick Note: This started off with a 'hey look what happened before' thing 'cause I wanted it to.

Disclaimer: I do not own FAIBU DEEZU... (5D's.)


	9. Frozen Mistress: Alice Mizore!

Johnny walked through the dim hallways of the building he entered, unsure of his true reasons as to why he even bothered entering. _Am I just curious?_ He looked around, and found a set of staircases, climbing up the flight of stairs. After he climbed up the stairs, he found himself in a completely abandoned hallway with several broken windows along with a ruined ceiling, a light that flickered on and off, and then several scattered workpapers. "Geez, you'd think I was in the Satellite right now or something..." Johnny muttered as he looked around and walked past several abandoned offices.

"Why have you come here, Alvarez?" a female voice echoed throughout the empty hallways.

"So, it wasn't my imagination that someone's here?" Johnny questioned, trying to find the origin of the female voice.

"Leave, Alvarez" the female voice spoke once again.

"Not 'til I find out who ya are" Johnny answered, reaching the end of the hallway, and finding a single door that was slightly cracked open. As he opened the door, it creaked loudly and released a sudden chilling wave.

"That ain't normal..." Johnny said with a sweat drop as he looked around, seeing a perfectly normal empty space but just slightly cold. "Geez, people don't believe in turning off air conditioners!" Johnny complained before seeing a single person in the middle of the room. The person appeared to be female with long dark brown hair, and appeared to be at least 17 years of age. She was almost Johnny's height, sans a few inches between their heights. She wore a dark red spring dress that flowed almost perfectly with the gentle breeze that passed through the window behind her. Johnny looked down, seeing that she was wearing sandals, despite the oddly-cold room that she stood in. He looked up to her eyes, seeing violet eyes that reflected nothing but a cold stare into his own eyes.

"Are you going to leave now? Like everyone else?" she asked quietly, only blinking once.

"I dunno why you're here, but this certainly ain't a good thing..." Johnny stared hard at the girl's eyes. _Could she be possessed by a Fallen Angel? No... she would've attacked me for having a Birthmark..._

"Please, save me the trouble of dealing with someone as annoying as you, and just leave" the girl said in a chilling tone. Her eyes showed little compassion as if he were unwelcome.

"Jeez, someone seems to have a complex with having everyone leave them alone" Johnny answered freshly.

"Silence, boy. I demand that you leave me alone" the girl said in response, unwilling to say anything otherwise.

"Can I at least know your name?" Johnny asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Alice... Alice Mizore..." the girl answered once again, her face unchanging.

"The name's Johnny Alvarez!" Johnny grinned before seeing the Duel Disk on her arm. "Hey wait, you're a Duelist also?"

"...Yes..." Alice responded, seeming almost uninterested in Johnny now.

"Ooh, I wish I could Duel ya... but my friends are kinda waiting on me..." Johnny chuckled nervously while he scratched the back of his head. Suddenly, his Signer Mark flared to life. _What the? Danger nearby?_ he looked around immediately.

"The birthmark on your arm is shining, it is because the presence of another Signer is around... I find it hard to believe you don't even know what your mark is telling you" Alice explained, sighing as if she were dealing with an idiot.

Johnny's eyes widened in surprise before he looked at the girl. "Alice, how would you know such a thing?" he asked.

"I know very well about the Legend of the Signers, Alvarez" Alice responded with a smirk on her face. "I know very well that you and your group of friends down there are Signers."

"How could you know of the Signer Legend then?"

"It's called research, simple as that" Alice answered.

"What the...?" Johnny was now lost.

"And you see, you've proven just now how intelligent you are" Alice shook her head with a chuckle.

"Oh thank you."

"That was sarcasm, Alvarez."

"...I feel like you're insulting me again" Johnny said, sounding slightly confused at what the girl was saying to him.

"Let me make it simple for your brain functions: I decided to sit down one day and actually read a book... actually, that's it" Alice explained as simply as she could.

"So you found the Legend of the Signers in a book... Jeez, Neo Domino has _everything_!"

"Now, Johnny, about that Duel you said you wished you could have with me..." Alice said, looking at the boy before raising her Duel Disk. "I don't mind it, I'll have you defeated in just one turn. That's all it'll take for me" she said in a whisper.

"Alice, I doubt it'd take you only one turn in order to beat me, and also, I have to get back to my friends..." Johnny said nervously with a chuckle.

"Please, Alvarez, do not act as if I'm weak just because I don't have a Signer Dragon like you do... I'll set a time limit of three turns, you being first, then me, and then you again. Whoever has higher Life Points by the end of your third turn is declared the victor. If either of us drop to zero beforehand, then... you get the point, right?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Johnny scratched the back of his head in confusion again. _The hell does she plan on doing on just her turn? Usually on the first turn, you ain't gonna do much..._

"Duel!" both Johnny and Alice declared as they raised their Duel Disks and the momentum charged through them.

Alice: 4000

Johnny: 4000

_Turn 1_

"Since you said I've got the first turn, I'll go! Draw!" Johnny swiped the top card of his deck and looked at it. "Yes, a good one! I activate **Hand Destruction**! With this, we ditch two cards in ours hands and draw 2 cards!"

"Hmph, so you'll allow yourself to let me have two more cards? I appreciate your kindness, Alvarez... however, I don't need someone's pity" Alice said as she extracted two cards from her hand gracefully and slipped them into her discard pile.

"Draw two!" Johnny declared as both he and the female he just met drew two cards. "After that, I'll play **Double Summon**! Now, I can summon twice in this turn! So, I'll Normal Summon both **Jurrac Velo **and **Jurrac Plessie**!" he commanded as two flames appeared on the field. The sounds of roaring could be heard as two rainbow-colored dinosaurs appeared on the field. On the left, a velociraptor, and on the right, a plessiosaurus.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

Jurrac Plessie: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

_1700 Attack, that must be the highest Attack Power Monster in his hand... however, he also Normal Summoned a Tuner onto the field. Either he's stupid, or he must be planning to end this as fast as he can..._ Alice counted the fact that Johnny only held two cards in his hand. _With only two cards left in hand, he'll either try and play conservatively, or they'll be Spell/Traps that he'll set for me to trigger._ "So, a Tuner I see? With these conditions..."

"Yes, it's _exactly_ what you're thinking!" Johnny said excitedly as both his dinosaurs began to glow. "I'll Tune the Level 4 Jurrac Velo to the Level 4 Jurrac Plessie!" four rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_Your mighty flames of rage, awaken now! Bring about the greatest impact_! Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, transforming into a tremendous blaze. The sounds of a dragon's roar could be heard as the flames slowly wore out, revealing Johnny's Signer Dragon in it's majestic form. The dragon roared as flames surrounded it's body and it spun, fanning away the flames and unfolded it's wings.

Meteo-Rage Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"So it's here, your Signer Dragon!" Alice said with a quiet excitement in her voice. _Good, now this will be just three times more fun..._ She looked at one of the new cards in her hand, it being Salvage. _With this, my victory is now secured._

"I'll throw down two face-down cards and end my turn! Let's see what'cha got, Alice!" Johnny said with a grin on his face.

_Turn 2_

"My victory all just lies in a single card... When I draw it, victory is assured" she said as she swiped the sixth card from the top of her deck and gracefully added it into her hand of five, now making it six. "Curse your luck, Alvarez, for I've drawn the card I needed to win" Alice said as she revealed a single card in her hand. "First, I activate **Salvage**!" she commanded as her graveyard began to shine with an aqua blue-colored light.

"What the?"

"With the effect of **Salvage**, I can add 2 WATER-Attribute Monsters from the graveyard to my hand with an Attack Score of 1500 or Less" she explained as two cards from her graveyard ejected themselves. "Thank you, Alvarez, for letting me regain advantage" Alice said with a smirk across her face as she revealed the cards. "I'll add back **Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier** as well as **Merchant of the Ice Barrier**" she said as she placed them into her hand, making her hand size a total of seven cards.

"Tch, that just makes me feel a little more stupid than usual..." Johnny chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "Ah well, I guess I can roll with it just fine..."

"That's implying you have a next turn to get back at me for this. First, I activate the Continuous Spell called **Water Hazard**! Now, since my Monster Zones are feeling a little empty, I'll Special Summon **Strategist of the Ice Barrier**!" she commanded as an old man appeared on the field with blue robes covering his entire body and he grunted.

Strategist of the Ice Barrier: 1600 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 4

"I'll activate Strategist of the Ice Barrier's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I take an Ice Barrier Monster in my hand and send it into the graveyard to draw one more card" she carefully placed a single Monster in her hand into the discard pile, drawing a new card and refreshing her to a hand of four cards again.

"Next, I activate **Magic Triangle of the Ice Barrier**! By revealing three "Ice Barrier" Monsters in my hand, I can destroy a card on your field!" she revealed the three cards in her hand. "Merchant of the Ice Barrier, Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier, and finally... Supporter of the Ice Barrier" she said as the three cards in her hand began to glow, forming a triangle on Johnny's side of the field, appearing in the form of a mystical seal of some sort.

"Destroying a card on my field?" Johnny's eyes widened as a sharp tower of ice shot through Johnny's Spell/Trap 2 Zone. "Tch, there goes my **Book of Moon**... had you attacked, I would've wound up negating the attack of a Monster, or if you summoned a Tuner, I would've flipped it face-down..." he explained, taking the card and placing it into his discard pile.

"And now, I can Special Summon one of the three in my hand. I'll Special Summon **Merchant of the Ice Barrier**!" she commanded as white-robed man with several wares in his hands appeared on the field.

Merchant of the Ice Barrier: 0 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 3

"Now the effect of my Merchant activates! When he is Special Summoned by a card effect, I can draw one more card! However, if the drawn card isn't a Monster, he's destroyed. When I draw a Monster... well... it's Special Summoned onto the Field as well..." Alice smiled, as if she were gambling on fate.

"And the chances of you drawing a Monster?" Johnny raised an eyebrow out of curiosity.

"Very high... because I said so!" Alice drew the new card and revealed it. "Lookie here, I drew my **Defender of the Ice Barrier**! Now it's Special Summoned onto the field!" she gracefully placed the card onto the Monster Zone. A fox appeared on the field, several ice crystals all over it's body glowing beautifully as it yelped a strange sound.

Defender of the Ice Barrier: 200 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Wait, she summoned a Tuner... that's no good!" Johnny's eyes widened in surprise. _Tch, she's aiming for a Synchro Summon! I can't even stop it!_

"I'll Tune the Level 3 Merchant of the Ice Barrier to my Level 3 Defender of the Ice Barrier!" Alice commanded as three rings surrounded three orbs of light. "_Oh mighty tiger, shake fear into my enemies with a spirit-shattering roar! Arise from the snow-clad lands! _Synchro Summon_! _**Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier**_!_" she commanded as the light exploded, revealing a blue-furred tiger with a very royal-looking armor on it's body. The tiger roared mightily as a chilling air came from it's mere breath.

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 2000 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 6

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier**!" she commanded as she finally reduced her hand to a single card, and a skinny-looking man appeared on the field with a wand made of ice.

Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier: 1300 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Wait... another Synchro Summon!" Johnny's reaction was just pure shock. He didn't expect his opponent to be able to pull of another Synchro Summon on the same turn! _Tch, this girl's really good! Synchro Summoning twice on the same turn... what a rush!_

"I'll Tune the Level 4 Strategist of the Ice Barrier to my Level 2 Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" two rings surrounded four orbs of light. "_Oh ancient dragon of frost, heed my call and break the __seal,__ unleash your frozen judgment upon all who oppose me_!" Alice commanded as the light exploded mightily! "Synchro Summon! Freeze, **Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier**!" Rising up from the light, a long, serpentine dragon soared towards the ceiling, spiraling back down as it roared mightily.

Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: 2300 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 6

"W-whoa... I wonder what kind of effect that thing's got..." Johnny said, whistling with an impressed look on his face. _Although, whatever she summons or does is all in vain. Meteo-Rage Dragon is still, by far, stronger than those two on the field... What's the point in summoning them if she could've kept the weaker Monsters to be safe?_

"First, I activate the effect of Dewloren! By returning face up cards on my field to my hand, he gains 500 Attack for each one! I'll pick the **Water Hazard** that's standing here pointlessly!" she gracefully picked up the card and placed it back into her hand as Dewloren roared, growing massive in size.

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 2500 Attack

_I've been noticing it this entire time, but... it seems like this girl Duels so beautifully and gracefully, as if it's all a show... She's like a piece of glass right now; beautiful in the light..._ Johnny couldn't help but to think that for a few moments before seeing her hand now holding two cards. _I shouldn't worry, I know the last two cards in her hand right now..._

"It's over, Johnny... I wish I didn't have to end this duel so quickly, but it's over! Brionac's Monster Effect! By discarding cards I hold, I can return cards on the field to their owners' hands!"

"Wait... what!" Johnny said as a mystic power surrounded not just Meteo-Rage Dragon, but also the face-down card on his field. The two cards then ejected themselves from his Duel Disk and his Signer Dragon roared as it vanished completely. "W-with this... my field..."

"Your field is wide open, Alvarez. Battle! Dewloren and Brionac attack you directly! End this game!" she commanded with grace. "Brionac, _Flash Freeze_!" the dragon and tiger both roared, separating into an attack from two different ends. The large dragon roared, flapping its wings as several ice shards flew at Johnny, the holograms piercing through his body.

Johnny: 1700

"Finish it, Dewloren!" Alice commanded with a gentle wave of her hand before smirking with confidence. The tiger roared as it suddenly began launching huge gusts of cold air at Johnny, the wind whipping and dancing all around him. Next, the tiger leaped, pouncing on its prey and Johnny fell to his knees as his Life Point parameters hit 0 immediately.

Johnny: 0

"W-what the... that was so... fast..." Johnny said in surprise, looking at his Duel Disk. He wasn't reading it wrong, it indeed did say 0. _T-that was... fast... but... Alice... she..._

"I told you, Alvarez, I only needed one turn to take you down. I can't believe how easy it was though!" Alice chuckled to herself, looking at how the boy appeared to be surprised, and yet he appeared happy all at once. "Alvarez, what are you smiling about? You lost, I destroyed you, how can you still be happy about that?"

"That's 'cause..." Johnny placed a fist against his chest, "I gotta thank ya for the good Duel!"

"What? The entire Duel was me wiping the floor with you, how can you call that a 'good duel'?" Alice questioned, stepping over to Johnny with a cold-hard stare into his emerald-green eyes.

"Alice, it's because lately... I've been feeling like Duels are no longer fun, they're all either 'life or death' situations nowadays... however, Dueling you ignited my flames again! Thank you so much!" Johnny said excitedly.

"S-Shut up! I didn't do anything for you, I just beat you down with Brionac and Dewloren in a single move!" Alice responded, almost flustered at the boy's response.

Johnny smiled, "No matter how cold you are, I feel like you have some warmth in you."

"Shut up..." Alice looked away, crossing her arms with an angered frown across her face. "Just leave... leave like everyone else does."

"Wha'd'ya mean 'leave'? Dude, you should seriously come with me and my friends!" Johnny said with an excited pitch in his tone, reaching out his hand towards her.

Alice immediately slapped his hand away "Don't you dare ever try that again, low-life! Alvarez, you may be happy about your loss, but what matters is the fact that I won" she said arrogantly.

Johnny chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, you remind me of how I was when I first started playing Duel Monsters in my life... minus the whole 'leave me alone' thing" he said with a smile before turning away. "I hope I get to see ya again... it was really fun Dueling ya, and I wish we can do it again!" the boy couldn't help but to say so with excitement in his voice

"Alvarez... if we ever do Duel again... I'll still win" Alice said in a quiet whisper before turning around. "Although..." she turned around to look at him again, and Johnny turned around as well.

"What is it?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"That girlfriend of yours down there... Her dragon is **Hellfire Dragon**, or something like that... It looks interesting..." Alice then began to grin and clench her fists. "I want to rip it to shreds... in a Duel, at least."

"Dude, she's not my girlfriend. If anything, I'd rather have you... and I don't even know you" Johnny responded to the 'girlfriend' statement with a sweat drop. "Anyhow, you want to Duel Rose? Eh, maybe some other time..."

"Ah... it's feeling so hot in here..." Alice said as she started to unbutton her dress.

"W-what're you doing?" Johnny immediately covered his eyes, turning red in the process as the girl removed her black stockings and took off her dress, revealing a black singlet and a pair of shorts.

"I thought boys your age liked seeing girls take off their clothing" Alice rolled her eyes jokingly.

"W-well, you just took off your clothes so randomly, it's not like I wanted you to do that outta nowhere... jeez!" Johnny uncovered his eyes, not looking directly at the girl.

"Anyway... I want to duel that girlfriend of yours."

"She's _not_ my girlfriend, darn it!" Johnny argued.

"Oh, and the sudden violent outbursts she has with you, along with the burning hate towards you just because you defeated her once before? Don't think I didn't hear the exchanges between you two outside this window, because I did" Alice grinned. "And don't say things like that, Johnny, we don't know each other well enough for you to say words like 'I would rather have you'."

"To be honest, that's the scary part about Rose... She's more willing to kick someone's ass rather than ask questions if it's not about something that has to do with her. And, well, Alice, like I said, I'd rather just have you despite how little of you I know" Johnny said, scratching the back of his head.

"D-don't say things like that!" Alice blushed a little before shaking her head. "Now, let me rip that Rose girl apart... pleeease?"

"Alice, now you're just acting stranger than when I first met you about... 10-15 minutes ago..." Johnny pointed out with a sweat drop.

"Alvarez, I'm going to rip that girl apart then" Alice said boldly before walking over to Johnny, tippy-toeing in order to tap him on his shoulder.

Johnny placed a hand on Alice's shoulder, "Alice, I can't let you come with me anyway. There's an evil that's been pursuing us, and to be honest with you, I can't afford to let ya be killed outta nowhere..." the boy said, sounding serious.

"Hmph, what's with the tough guy act now, Johnny? Did someone forget that I handed you your own Life Points on an empty plate?" Alice said confidently.

"I'll say it again, I cannot afford to let you be hurt."

"The way you say it..." Alice grinned, "makes it sound like Johnny has a crush on poor little Alice here" she said almost teasingly.

Johnny turned red again "S-shut up! Don't say things like that!" Johnny said, watching Alice start drinking a bottle of cold water. "I-I'm just gonna go!" Johnny immediately ran off. "Don't follow, you have nothing to do with us Signers... please!" he pleaded as he was leaving.

"..." Alice finished her bottle of water, now standing alone in the room again. She put down the bottle of water and stared out the window again. _That boy, Alvarez... he's got something about him that seems a little... intruiging, if you asked me..._ She sighed, shaking off her thoughts. _Why do I bother? He left me alone, done deal. He's gone, he's out of my life, all that jazz._

* * *

"Yusei!" Johnny exited the building with a grin across his face.

"Johnny, what were you looking for in there?" Yusei immediately proceeded to question.

"Nothing, I was just imagining things" Johnny answered with a nervous chuckle and a sweat drop.

"Johnny... did you even pay attention to my Duel like you did that window long enough to think you saw someone?" Rose asked with an angered twitch.

"Er... uh... what was that last move you made?" Johnny asked jokingly before having to evade a punch from Rose.

"Stop trying to be a goddamned clown!" Rose shouted.

"Er..." Arianna looked between the two.

"Now, now, let's proceed with what we're doing here" Yusei said, crossing his arms. "He said that Akiza would be the key we're looking for... so we have to find Akiza!" Yusei said.

"You're looking for who now?" a familiar voice suddenly spoke.

Yusei turned, his eyes widened and his pupils shrunk as if he were seeing a ghost. "I-its... you..." he said in a low whisper.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own 5D's, blah blah blah.

Author's Note: Well, I promised my Jazelle that by the time I reach this chapter, I'd have a special thing prepared for her. And well... here it is. Babe, if you're reading this, I love you, always. :3 (Note: It sucks. qq)

Being in your arms, I feel as if the shadows of loneliness are leaving.

I am embraced by your warmth, the light of your love.

I feel as if my body can fly, it can soar through the heavens and beyond it.

Everything no longer matters, because I have you to think about.

My thoughts are no longer a cluster, because you're on my mind.

My heart beats steadily, calling for your name always.

This lone soul has been saved by your love.

I will always appreciate you

Not just because you love me, but because of everything you do for me,

Everything you say to me, and everything you've taught me.

I appreciate all of it.

I've learned to love, only because of you...

Final Author's Note: (Dear lord this poem sucks. QQ)


	10. Starcrossed Lovers

Yusei, turned around, only to see Akiza again. "A-Akiza!" he called out her name, but the female that stood opposing him only smirked.

"Yusei... I can finally have the chance to kill you..." Akiza said in a light, yet threatening tone. _Yes, Akiza, yes! Now that Black Rose Dragon is back, you can kill the enemy Signer! Do it, Akiza!_

"Akiza, no matter what, I haven't given up on you, I hope you know that!" Yusei said, raising his Duel Disk.

"Oh? So you want to have another taste of my powers, Yusei?" Akiza asked, chuckling. "You should obviously remember how I defeated you easily back then..." she said, almost feeling a twisted sense of pleasure from the memory of Aeries striking down Yusei's last Life Points.

"Except now, Akiza, I've gotten stronger! My resolve to save you... is not shaken any more! Akiza, please, come back to us! I know you're in there!" Yusei shouted as the Momentum in his Duel Disk flared up.

"Sadly, Yusei, the me you're looking for is dead... time for you to get over it" Akiza giggled malevolently as her Duel Disk's Mometum flared up as well, and black feathers rained down to encircle around both the possessed female and him.

"Looks like they'll be Dueling again..." Johnny noted to himself.

"Hmph, let's see if lover-boy has what it takes to win" Rose said, crossing her arms with an almost uncaring look in her eyes.

"Good luck, Yusei!" Arianna called out.

"DUEL!" both Akiza and Yusei shouted.

Yusei: 4000

Akiza: 4000

_Turn 1_

"My turn, draw!" Yusei drew his sixth card, looking at his hand carefully. "First, I'll use the Spell Card called **Tuning**! With this, I can pick up a "Synchron" Tuner Monster and add it from the deck to my hand. I'll pick... Quickdraw Synchron!" he instructed, revealing card. "Next, I have to take the top card of my deck and send it to the graveyard!" he noticed the card he dropped was his **Junk Synchron**. "Next, I'll ditch **Level Eater** in order to Special Summon **Quickdraw Synchron** from my hand!" he commanded as a cowboy-shaped robot entered the field, cocking his pistol.

Quickdraw Synchron: 700 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 5 | Tuner

"This card can only be used for the Synchro Summon of any Warrior Monster in my Extra Deck that includes 'Synchron' in it's name, so I use the effect of Level Eater! By lowering a Level off a Level 5 or Higher Monster, it can be Special Summoned!" Yusei instructed as a ladybug flew through Quickdraw Synchron.

Quickdraw Synchron: Level 4 | Tuner

Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1

"I'll tune the Level 1 Level Eater to the Level 4 Quickdraw Synchron!" Yusei instructed as four rings surrounded a single orb of light. "_Clustering stars call upon a new force! Become the light it's path shines upon!_ Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing a mechanical-looking warrior with a right fist larger than the left, and a flowing white scarf. The warrior's red eyes glowed as it grunted.

Junk Warrior: 2300 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 5

"With that, I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

_Turn 2_

"Oh how pathetic, a Junk Warrior, Yusei... draw!" Akiza swiped the top card of her deck, and looked at it with a smirk on her face. "First, I'll Normal Summon **Twilight Rose Knight**!"

Twilight Rose Knight: 1000 Attack / 1000 Defnese | Level 3 | Tuner

"Twilight Rose Knight's Monster Effect now activates! When he's Normal Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or Lower Plant-type Monster in my hand! I'll Special Summon **Rose Fairy**!" she commanded as a small sprite with a rose on her head appeared on the field.

Rose Fairy: 600 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 3

"I'll Tune the Level 3 Rose Fairy to the Level 3 Twilight Rose Knight!" three rings suddenly spiraled all around three orbs of light. "Synchro Summon! Reveal yourself, **Splendid Rose**!" she commanded as the blond-haired boy with half black, half green tights appeared on the field, dancing majestically as several thorned tentacles produced from its back.

Splendid Rose: 2200 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 6

"Next, I activate **Synchro Relief**! With this Quick-Play Spell's effect, I can send cards from the top of my deck equal to the Level of a Synchro Monster I just Synchro Summoned and destroy a Monster whose level is less than it! I choose your Junk Warrior!" Akiza commanded as roses suddenly flew around Junk Warrior, and he growled as he exploded.

"J-Junk Warrior!" Yusei's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's not over yet! Splendid Rose, attack Yusei directly!" the blond-haired boy launched himself at Yusei, smacking him with a few of his vines and leaving cuts on Yusei as his Life Points dropped instantly to an 1800.

Yusei: 1800

"And now, my Splendid Rose attacks you directly, again, Yusei!"

"Wait, how?"  
"By removing from play a Plant-type Monster, namely Rose Fairy, in my graveyard, I can have him attack again! Of course, his Attack Power is halved, but..." Akiza smirked "I'll make you suffer! Direct attack, Splendid Rose!"

Splendid Rose: 1100

The blond-haired boy sprung into action again as his vines then lashed out at Yusei surrounding his arms, legs, and his body while the thorns dug into his body! "G-Gah!" he grunted in pain as the thorns cut deep into his body parts. _I-I've lost so many Life Points... all in that one turn..._ Yusei began panting, breathing heavily as the vines loosened their grip, slithering away from him.

Yusei: 700

"Hmph, Yusei Fudo... I will end you here. This will be the end to all my misery!" Akiza said with that smirk on her face. "I'll set two cards face-down, and activate the Field Magic of **Black Garden**!" The moment she played that card, vines sprung out from the ground as well as a stone statue in the middle that appeared to be a baby with a flute in its hand. Several vines flung around it, and several others just swung around with a mind of their own. "With that, I'll end my turn..."

_Turn 3_

Yusei looked at Akiza, unable to stand without staggering a few times. "Akiza... I'm going to... save you..." he said, slowly drawing his new card painfully. Several drops of his blood fell onto the floor as he backed away a little bit.

"YUSEI!" Arianna was going to run to him.

"Sorry, little girl, but if you do that... the Duel ends, and Yusei will forfeit the match" Akiza said coldly, and she was loving the painful look in Yusei's eyes.

"I-I'm fine..." Yusei panted, looking at the cards in his hand.

_Yusei... come on, dude, you got this!_ Johnny crossed his arms, hoping for Yusei's victory.

"I'll start off with this! When the opponent controls a Monster while I don't, I can Special Summon **Unknown Synchron**!"

Unknown Synchron: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"What's the point in summoning something so pathetic?" Akiza asked with a yawn.

"It's because I'm not keeping him like that! I'll release him in order to Advance Summon **Salvage Warrior**!" a blue-skinned, hulking man appeared on the field, roaring as he slammed his hooks together.

Salvage Warrior: 1900 Attack / 1600 Defense

"So you summoned another weakling. What's your point, Yusei?" Akiza asked, sounding almost impatient.

"I activate Salvage Warrior's effect! When he's been Advance Summoned successfully, I can Special Summon a Tuner Monster residing in my graveyard, or in my hand! Come on back, **Unknown Synchron**!" the tiny UFO-looking machine with an eye appeared on the field, beeping.

Unknown Synchon: 0 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"Now I activate the effect of **Doppelwarrior** in my hand! When a Monster is Special Summoned from the graveyard, I can Special Summon him from my hand!" a warrior with an arrow-gun appeared on the field, grunting as his eyes were hidden by the helmet he wore and his scarf flowed with the wind.

Doppelwarrior: 800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 2

"Hmph, so you've gathered 3 weaklings onto the field... Are you going to Synchro Summon your precious Stardust Dragon?" Akiza asked.

"I will! I'll Tune the Level 5 Salvage Warrior and Level 2 Doppelwarrior to my Level 1 Unknown Synchron!" a single ring spiraled around Salvage Warrior and Doppelwarrior. The two monsters then transformed into seven spheres of light! "_Clustering wishes will become a new star! Become the path it's light shines upon!_ Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, and the white dragon majestically soared out from the light, screeching loudly, "Take Flight, **Stardust Dragon**!"

Stardust Dragon: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Hmph, so Stardust Dragon is here... It won't matter, Yusei! With all the times you Summoned just now... I've counted 4 Summons, so now, I get 4 Rose Tokens!" Akiza said with a grin as 4 miniature roses appeared on the field, and a black energy enshrouded all around Stardust Dragon as vines began grabbing at the dragon, draining its energy.

Rose Token: 800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 1

Stardust Dragon: 1250 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Next, the effect of my Doppelwarrior activates from the graveyard! When he's used for a Synchro Summon, I can Special Summon 2 **Doppel Tokens** in attack mode!" two miniature versions of Doppelwarrior appeared on the field with large, animated smirks on their faces.

Doppel Token: 200 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 1

"And now I activate the Spell Card called **Tuning Resonance**! Now, I can release one Monster on my side of the field to Special Summon a Tuner Monster from the graveyard with a Level equal to or less than the released Monster! I'll release a Doppel Token in order to Special Summon my **Unknown Synchron**!" the miniature machine appeared for a third time, beeping.

"Hmph, with that condition..."

"Yes! I'll Tune the Doppel Token to my Unknown Synchron!" a single ring surrounded a single orb of light. "_Clustering hopes will find the path to evolution!_ _Become the path it's light shines upon!_ Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, "Hope of Evolution, **Wyvern Synchron**!" revealing what appeared to be a mechanical version of a miniature wyvern, colored with red armor and savage yellow eyes. The dragon's mechanical roars echoed all around itself.

Wyvern Synchron: 0 Attack / 0 Defnese | Level 2 | Tuner

"Hmph, your so-called evolution... how sickening..." Akiza spat.

"I'll tune the Level 8, Synchro Monster, Stardust Dragon to the Level 2, Synchro Tuner, Wyvern Synchron!" Yusei commanded as two rings formed above Yusei's head while Stardust Dragon screeched, flying through the portal formed by the two rings."_Clustering crystal dreams will open the door to evolution! Become the path it's light shines upon!_" he chanted as he raised his hand. "Clear Mind!" he commanded as several rainboow-colored lights scattered around the field and Stardust Dragon suddenly vanished from existence.

"W-whoa, it disappeared!" Johnny pointed out.

"Thanks, captain Points-out-the-Obvious" Rose said sarcastically.

"Whatever, Yusei!" Akiza said with a laugh. "Your Monster can't get around my Splendid Rose, no matter how powerful it is!"

"Be born, **Shooting Star Dragon**!" Yusei commanded as the portal ripped open, unleashing a large, evolved form of Stardust Dragon as it screeched mightily.

Shooting Star Dragon: 3300 Attack / 2500 Defense | Level 10

"Hmph, your Shooting Star Dragon still loses half the attack points, so I don't see the point!"

"There is a point, Akiza! I activate the effect of Wyvern Synchron! When he's used for a Synchro Summon, I can return 1 Synchro Monster from my graveyard to the Extra Deck, and then I send a Monster on the opponent's side of the field to the graveyard!" Yusei instructed as the ghost of Stardust Dragon appeared, only to vanish into his Extra Deck once more. A green light shot out from his graveyard, piercing through the blond-haired boy.

"Tch... your Shooting Star Dragon's attack power is still halved! What can you possibly do in this situation!" Akiza barked. "Give up, Yusei, there's no way you can save me!"

"I haven't given up on you yet, Akiza!" Yusei shouted, clenching his fists as he stared at Akiza's current form. Shooting Star Dragon roared greatly, "I activate Shooting Star Dragon's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can check the top five cards of my deck and for every Tuner Monster, I can attack you that many times!" Yusei said as he placed his hand on top of his deck. _Deck… please, answer me!_

"Relying on luck once again, Yusei?" Akiza commented with a frown on her face. _Yusei, if only you knew the danger that awaited you at the end of this… Aeries, are you sure I can't tell him?_

_I'm positive, child, now keep on fighting! You want to keep Black Rose Dragon, don't you?_ The voice of the Fallen Angel echoed through Akiza's mind, and she kept quiet.

"The first card!" Yusei swiped the card off the top of his deck, and revealed it. "Tuner Monster, **Mono Synchron**!"

Rose looked at her arm, watching as her Tail Mark suddenly vanished, reappearing on Yusei's back. _Is he calling upon our power?_

Yusei swiped another card "Second card!" he looked at it, and revealed it, "Second Tuner Monster, **Nitro Synchron**!" the foot of the Crimson Dragon suddenly appeared on Yusei's back, shining bright.

"Third card!" Yusei looked at it, and then revealed it. "Third Tuner Monster, **Debris Dragon**!"

Johnny watched as his Wings mark vanished suddenly, reappearing on Yusei's back. "Alright, you got this! Win it for us!" he cheered with a grin across his face.

"Fourth card!" Yusei swiped it off the top of his deck, confirmed it, and revealed it to Akiza. "A fourth Tuner Monster, **Bri Synchron**!" the Hand of the Crimson Dragon vanished off of Arianna's arm, and the mark reappeared on Yusei's back like magic.

"Yusei… you can do it!" Arianna cheered on with a smile across her face.

"You've revealed four Tuner Monsters, Yusei… Will there be a fifth?" Akiza raised her eyebrow with a strange malevolence within the tone of her voice. "Yusei, I'll warn you now, your Shooting Star Dragon will fall to me…"

"It's not pointless! This is… my only way to show you that our bonds will overcome everything! I'll expel the Fallen Angel within you… with this move!" Yusei placed his hand at the top of his deck. _I need one more… one more attack, and I can drop Akiza to 0. By then, I'll save her from the grip of Aeries, hopefully. Deck… please… lend me your power!_ Yusei closed his eyes, slowly swiping the card off the top of his deck. "Fifth one!" he swiped it off dramatically, slowly opening his eyes as he saw it; the fifth Tuner Monster! "Fifth Tuner Monster: **Turbo Synchron**!" the mark of the Crimson Dragon suddenly shone on Yusei's back, forming itself completely as it glowed with awesome power.

"Our birthmarks are all on Yusei!" Johnny commented.

"This is like the time with Rose…" Arianna whispered.

"Yusei is channeling all his power into this move" Rose noted, crossing her arms.

"With five Tuners, now I can attack you a total of five times! Go, Shooting Star Dragon, _Stardust Mirage_!" Yusei raised his arm as the evolved Signer Dragon soared towards the sky, spinning faster and faster as it glowed with multiple bright lights. Suddenly, the single dragon split into five separate entities instantly. The dragons roared beautifully and began rushing towards Akiza's feeble defenses.

"Hmph, five attacks, you're not going to get anywhere with that…" Akiza replied as she looked at her face-down card. _Not with this facedown I had prepped for your precious Shooting Star Dragon…_

Shooting Star Dragon: 1650 Attack

Rose Tokens: 800 Attack / 800 Defense

The five copies of Shooting Star Dragon all roared mightily while one began flying towards the Rose Token. "First Battle! Shooting Star Dragon attacks your Rose Token, Akiza!" he commanded as the dragon pierced through the Rose Token, the gusts of wind slapping at Akiza's body.

Akiza: 3150

"Second Battle! Shooting Star Dragon attacks the second Token!" the second copy roared as it crashed into the Token, and Akiza flinched at the feeling of the attack's aftermath.

Akiza: 2300

"Third Battle! Shooting Star Dragon attacks the third token!" the evolved dragon's third copy crashed into the Token, and Akiza backed away as the harsh gusts from the attacks kept on slapping her.

Akiza: 1450

"Fourth battle! Shooting Star Dragon attacks the fourth Rose Token!" the fourth copy crashed into the token, and Akiza backed away as she grunted with pain. _I've taken worse than this… Yusei… You've inflicted much worse to my heart…_

Akiza: 600

"This is it, Akiza! This is where this battle ends! Fifth Battle! Shooting Star Dragon, attack Akiza directly!" the original dragon screeched mightily as it took flight, descending upon Akiza like a jet!

"That's what you think, Yusei Fudo! Trap card activate!" Akiza's facedown card suddenly flipped open, and a gust of whirlwind suddenly occurred as rose petals flew all over the place.

"What the?" Yusei watched field now covered in red rose petals that danced all about with the rushing gusts.

"**Rose Gale** is a Trap that can only be activated if an opponent declares a Direct Attack when two or more Plant-Type Monsters were destroyed… Thanks to this card, I Synchro Summon a **Black Rose Dragon** from the Extra Deck by removing from play materials in the graveyard!" Akiza instructed as a large, crystalline rose bloomed on the field. "I'll tune Glow-Up Bulb (Level 1) along with Floral Rose Angel – Blue (Level 6)"! she commanded as the rose revealed a small little plant with a blue-skinned angel. Glow-Up Bulb then turned into a single ring while six orbs of light clustered within the rose. "_Chilling flames__ engulf the world! Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom!_ Synchro Summon! Appear, **Black Rose Dragon**!" the crystal flower suddenly turned a dark purple and began to bloom. The light faded away from the contents of the rose, revealing Black Rose Dragon in full might. The red dragon roared gracefully as the dancing rose petals ceased.

Black Rose Dragon: 2400 Attack / 1800 Defense | Level 7

"Your Black Rose Dragon's effect, Black Rose Gale… When Black Rose Dragon is Synchro Summoned, you can destroy the entire Field…" Yusei then looked at his Shooting Star Dragon and the evolved Signer Dragon roared mightily. "However, if you bother using it… Shooting Star Dragon's effect will cease it, and it'll be the end of you. Akiza, what could you be aiming for…?"

"There's an additional effect to my Rose Gale… When Black Rose Dragon is Synchro Summoned through that effect, the attack powers of all Monsters you control are reduced to 0, and their effects are negated!"

"Wait, what?" Yusei's eyes widened as tentacles from Black Rose Dragon's body reached out, their prickly grips wrapping around the dragon's very limbs. Shooting Star Dragon violently tried to escape, however they seemed hell bent on keeping themselves around the dragon. The dragon screeched weakly as they appeared to be leeching a strange energy off the dragon. The evolved Signer Dragon screeched in pain as it was being reduced of its own strength.

Shooting Star Dragon: 0 Attack

"However, your Field Spell gives me a Rose Token!" Yusei mentioned as the garden of tentacles began to reach out towards Black Rose Dragon.

"My Rose Gale's effect allows Black Rose Dragon to be unaffected by any kind of card effect, Yusei…" Akiza said as her back bulged, releasing two angel wings, her wings appearing to be white currently. "Yusei… give up, now. Your effects cannot touch Black Rose Dragon, and the effects of your Shooting Star Dragon are now negated from Rose Gale… it's over…" she whispered as she looked at Black Rose Dragon, almost as if it were a majestic deity that belonged to her solely.

"I'll End my turn…" Yusei commented, looking at the last two face-down cards he had. _My only way out… do I have to use it before the Fallen Angel can even come about?_

_Turn 4_

"Draw!" Akiza swiped the top card off the top of her deck. "First, I activate the Spell Card called **Angel Mirage**! When both players control a Synchro Monster, I can Special Summon a Fairy-type Monster from the Deck. However, the Monster's effect will be negated, and it'll return to the deck by the End Phase… I'll Special Summon **Floral Rose Angel – Brown**!" she commanded as a brown-colored, withered angel appeared on the field with several dead plants in her hands. Her white wings unfolded beautifully, revealing several sad-looking flowers along the lines of her wing's feathers.

Floral Rose Angel – Brown: 2400 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 7

"Next, I'll Normal Summon **Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge**!" she commanded as a miniature angel appeared on the field, it's dark skin revealing the corruption that it represented whilst its black wings unfolded.

Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge: 0 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Wait… this combo…" Yusei's eyes widened.

"It's over, Yusei! With this… the crevice in my heart will finally disappear; I won't feel pain anymore, like Aeries promised!" Akiza shouted as she raised her arm, a dark energy swirling around her body.

"What?" Yusei's eyes widened and his pupils shrunk as he heard that sentence. "Feel… pain…?" he muttered.

"I'll _Correct_ the Level 7 Floral Rose Angel – Brown to my Level 3 Angel of Cowardliness – Lucifuge!" Akiza commanded as the black feathers surrounding the two finally danced, soaring high into the sky as seven single black feathers were surrounded by three rings of black feathers. "_Oh angel of the stars at night, awaken your powers from the constellation you sleep on! Ram your enemies in half!_ **Star Summon**! Descend from the heavens, **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries**!" the black feathers exploded with a dark light as Akiza's flesh slowly turned from her light beauty into a hideous grey. The white angel wings on her back slowly darkened like a disease, becoming black as the night itself whilst an artificial night sky appeared above Yusei and Akiza.

_It looks like I will be facing her Fallen Angel after all…_ Yusei kept his guard up; looking at the two cards he had set face-down a few turns ago.

From the night sky, a single deity slowly began to descend, revealing it's true form. The Fallen Angel of the Stars that appeared to be half-ram yet half-human descended once again, staring down at Yusei with disgusted, malevolent crimson eyes.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries: 3500 Attack / 3000 Defense | Level 10

"It's here…" Johnny muttered, feeling a cold, chilling air slithering around his body. He remembered that Fallen Angel all too well, he remembered how it had stricken fear into his heart. Never again did he wish to face a Fallen Angel of the Stars for that reason, but he knew all too well that he had no other choice. _If Yusei can do this… then I certainly can…_ "Come on, Yusei, you've got this!"

_Instilling false hope on Yusei will not help the current situation, you fool._ Rose looked at the Fallen Angel, disgusted by the appearance of such a creature. "Makes me want to puke…" she spat as she ignored the chilling air that came from the artificial night.

"Yusei can do this… he's always gotten out of a pinch!" Arianna muttered to herself, shivering a little bit in fear of the Fallen Angel.

"Yusei… it's over! With this, I can finally be rid of my pain! My anger! MY SORROW!" Akiza shouted as she then pointed at Shooting Star Dragon. "I'll be rid of that pestering thing once and for all! Aeries' Monster Effect activates! Now, your Set Spells/Traps cannot activate!"

"No, not yet! This Duel won't end like this! I activate the effect of **Effect Veiler** from my hand!" Yusei revealed it as he discarded it. "Now, for this turn, your Aeries' Monster Effects are negated!" he commanded as wings surrounded the Fallen Angel, and a red static began to radiate around its body!

"Hmph, if you wish to struggle all the way to the end, then I'll make you squirm! Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries attacks Shooting Star Dragon! _End of Despair_!" Akiza commanded as the Fallen Angel huffed in deeply. The angel reached out to Shooting Star Dragon, grabbing it whilst the tentacles around it finally came loose.

"Shooting Star Dragon!" Yusei's eyes widened as the Angel smirked, crushing the dragon in her hand and the dragon screeched in pain. Finally the angel's grip crushed the dragon into sparkling little particles.

"Disappear, Yusei!" the Fallen Angel of the Stars released a large amount of miasma from her lips, all of it being blown towards Yusei!

"YUSEI!" Arianna and Johnny shouted.

"I still haven't given up on you, Akiza, and this is how I'll prove it!" Yusei commanded as his facedown progressively began to flip up. "Trap card open, **Clustering Wishes**!" the trap card flipped up, revealing a female with dragon wings along with several colorful shooting stars falling in the background.

"Clustering… Wishes…?" Akiza questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"When Shooting Star Dragon is destroyed by battle, I reduce the damage to zero, and then remove from play two Monsters in my graveyard whose levels add up to Stardust Dragon's, and then Special Summon from the Extra Deck!" Yusei instructed as Junk Warrior and Junk Synchron both appeared on the field. Junk Warrior shattered into five orbs of light whilst Junk Synchron shattered into three rings of light. "_Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path it's light shines upon!_" radiant pixels danced all around the light as it burst. "Synchro Summon!" he commanded as the light began to settle, and a single dragon began spinning quickly, screeching beautifully as the sparkling glitter on its body slowly vanished. The dragon dramatically opened its wings, revealing the true form of itself. "Take Flight, **Stardust Dragon**!"

Stardust Dragon: 2500 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"Hmph, what can you do what that Stardust Dragon?" Akiza smirked as the Black Garden's vines began to reach out towards Stardust Dragon.

"Counter Trap activate, **Celestial Revolution**!" Yusei commanded as the counter trap flipped up, revealing a card art with Stardust Dragon roaring.

"What the?"

"Celestial Revolution is a Counter Trap that can only be activated when an opponent's card would affect Stardust Dragon. I negate and destroy that card, and then the opponent's Monsters lose Attack Points equal to Stardust Dragon's level times 100!" Yusei instructed as the Black Garden was immediately annihilate off the field, leaving several bits of glittering dust on the field.

"However, my Black Rose Dragon is unaffected thanks to Rose Gale…" Akiza commented, unsure of what Yusei was trying to pull now. _Yusei… why do you keep trying to save me?_

"Now, I'll activate an even further effect of Clustering Wishes! Stardust Dragon gains attack points equal to the Dragon-type Synchro Monsters that reside in my graveyard, and right now, I have 2 of them!"

"Wait… what?" Akiza's eyes widened in surprise when Yusei said that.

Stardust Dragon: 2500 + 200 = 2700 + 3300 = 6000 Attack

Stardust Dragon roared mightily as it began to grow in size, becoming even larger than the Fallen Angel before it!

"Stardust Dragon now has… an Attack Power of six… thousand? You've got to be joking me…" Akiza whispered as she looked at the power of her Fallen Angel of the Stars.

Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries: 2700

"WOO! YOU GOT THIS, YUSEI!" Johnny shouted with a grin on his face.

Yusei looked at Johnny with a grin on his face and nodded at him, then looking back at Akiza.

_Clustering Wishes… Yusei was given a card that powerful for this moment, but I wonder why that is… Could it perhaps be ironic fate that he will guide the wishes of everyone? Will he be the shooting star of hope?_ Rose crossed her arms, looking at Yusei indifferently. _However… can he truly lead the people to a good future? That is still the question._

"However, during the End Phase of this turn, Stardust Dragon is removed from play…" Yusei crossed his arms.

"Then what's the point in activating that card? I could just end my turn an-"

"There's another effect to Clustering Wishes! By returning a Synchro Monster back to my Extra Deck, I can force one of your Monsters to attack Stardust Dragon!" Yusei pointed at the Fallen Angel standing next to Black Rose Dragon. "And my target… will be your Aeries!"

"Force a battle?" Akiza looked at Aeries, who began to roar as she reached out towards Stardust Dragon.

_I'm putting my all in this… Please, Akiza, forgive me… this may hurt. I'll try to get the Fallen Angel of out of through this…!_ Yusei pointed at Aeries, "Reverberate, _Shooting Sonic_!" he commanded as his Dragon unlashed a ferocious blast of light at the Fallen Angel!

"Yusei…" Akiza looked at him with a look of confliction. "I was wrong… no… This isn't…" Akiza looked at her hands, and then looked at the Fallen Angel of the Stars that she summoned. "I… I…"

_"What are you doing, Akiza?"_ the Fallen Angel of the Stars looked back at Akiza with an angered look on her face. "Activate that Trap, or we'll both lose this Duel!" Black Rose Dragon roared loudly, looking at the Fallen Angel of the Stars with a disgusted look in its eyes.

"_What are you looking at, pathetic dragon!_" Aeries spat.

"Oh, I'll activate my Trap alright…" Akiza clenched her fist tightly. "Yusei, this card… I'm putting it all on you!" she flipped up her trap card.

"_WHAT ARE YOU DOING?_" Aeries questioned with an angered look on her face.

"Trap card open, **Synchro Emergency**! During this turn, by tributing one Synchro Monster on my side of the field, I can add that Synchro Monster's attack points to a Monster on the field! The Monster I choose is…"

"_Child, don't you want to be free of this curse! This man has plagued you! This man… he's… cursed your life! Why did you activate that card instead of the other one?_" the angel screamed in anger.

"I've finally made a decision…" Akiza said, closing her eyes as she clenched her right fist tightly. "I won't… I won't betray Yusei! Because… I… I…" she looked away from Yusei, looking at Black Rose Dragon. The dragon roared, as if the dragon agreed with Akiza's decision. "I choose Stardust Dragon!" she commanded as Black Rose Dragon's physical body faded away, leaving behind the very spirit of the dragon. It's spirit flew towards Stardust Dragon, and the Signer Dragon screeched with awesome might.

Stardust Dragon: 8400 Attack

_An attack power of… 8400?_ The Fallen Angel of the Stars backed away, seemingly afraid of what was happening now. Slowly, Akiza's skin began to turn lighter as her angel wings became whiter with each passing moment, all of the darkness of her skin remaining in a single spot.

"Ah!" she flinched as a burning sensation burst through her whole body, all of it originating from that one point on her right arm. The roars of the Crimson Dragon began to echo through her mind, alongside the roars of her Black Rose Dragon. "I-I see…" she whispered as that specific section of her arm began to glow with a bright crimson glare.

"Akiza, you…" Yusei watched the events unfold before his eyes while the Fallen Angel of the Stars he was battling began to scream with pain. The small dark spot on Akiza's arm vanished immediately as he wings turned a gentle crimson shade. Her wings then vanished instantaneously, small sparkles of red all gathering towards her right arm, taking on the shape of what seemed to be a dragon's hind claw!

"I've been… reborn as a Signer!" Akiza's eyes widened.

"Impossible! THIS IS JUST IMPOSSIBLE!" Aeries shouted as she began to reach out towards Akiza. "THIS IS HOW YOU PAY ME BACK? YOUR BLOODSTAINED HANDS AREN'T GOING TO BE CLEAN OF THE SINS YOU'VE COMMITTED!" Aeries shouted with a maniacal laughter, but the crimson glare of her Signer Mark kept the Fallen Angel at bay. "Impossible… just… it's all just… impossible!"

"Battle! Stardust Dragon attacks **Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries**! Shooting…" Yusei began, and Akiza nodded her head at Yusei.

"SONIC!" Akiza and Yusei both shouted as a crimson-colored stream of energy burst forth from Stardust Dragon's mouth, and the roars of Black Rose Dragon echoed from the stream of energy. The Fallen Angel screamed as the energy stream made contact with her body, trying her best to resist the strength and potency of it.

"Take this! Our combined strength, Yusei and I…!" Akiza shouted as the crimson Shooting Sonic burst through the Fallen Angel, causing her to scream with pain and agony as the energy slowly vanished, having done its job already.

Akiza: 0 Life Points

"Impossible… to think that… I could be… defeated… by a servant of the Crimson Dragon…" Aeries spat as she staggered back, away from Akiza who was protected from harm by Black Rose Dragon. "What… kind of power… is this…?"

"The power of hope, our resolve to save the future!" Yusei answered.

"I… see…" Aeries toppled towards the side, "I see… this is the power that… defeated ZONE…." Aeries staggered once more, looking down at Akiza, slowly vanishing into tiny black sparkles. "You will suffer more, child…" her words echoed like a gentle whisper in the night.

"You're wrong. With Yusei, I'll… I'll never suffer again!" Akiza looked at Yusei, their eyes meeting each other with a deep gaze. "Yusei… I was wrong… what I s-"

"Don't worry about it, Akiza" Yusei responded with a smile on his face as he took a few steps over to her.

Akiza frowned, "I can't just be forgiven so quickly, Yusei. This isn't the first time where I've hurt you, this is now three times where I've brought you close to death…." Akiza looked at the birthmark on her arm, seeing it glow a gentle light.

"Akiza, it's not your fault that you harmed me…" Yusei took a hold of Akiza's hands, looking only at her eyes as the next words came out of his mouth. "You were under someone else's influence, like the last few times. First it was Divine who had you under his words, bending you to his will, so you were blind with anger. This time, it was just a Fallen Angel that took advantage of the crevice in your heart" he spoke with a gentle tone in his voice. "So don't think that it's your fault, Akiza, it never was. The harm I get myself into is for your sake, because I care about you. I care about all my friends, and will do anything to protect my bonds."

"Yusei…" Akiza whispered. "…" her lips formed a smile as she embraced Yusei, holding him as close as she possibly could. "Thank you so much… thank you for everything you've ever done for me…" she said in a low, graceful whisper.

"It's no problem" Yusei answered back with his arms around her too.

"Awwww" Arianna said with a smile across her face.

"Geez, he wins the duel _and_ wins the girl. What can Yusei _not_ do?" Johnny commented.

"He can't stop giving a crap for people, that's what" Rose responded to Johnny, crossing her arms as she turned away from the sight. "Romance… such a thing sickens me…."

"And yet you loved Keith. Just sayin'," Johnny answered with a grin on his face.

"S-shut up!" Rose responded before taking a few steps to walk away.

"Wait for me!" Johnny chimed, walking behind her.

"Hm, what an impressive Duel on that Yusei person's part..." Alice said, watching from the window of the room she occupied. "That was nicely done with a good ending..." she muttered before seeing Johnny and Rose walking away together. "Oh? And these two are going in privacy? Time for me to investigate!" she said half-excitedly before walking away from her window, stopping for a moment as she remembered when she met Johnny. "Now it's time to beat his girlfriend! I'm finally going to get my chance!" she then scurried off with a happy grin on her face.

* * *

Author's Note: I dunno what else to say, really. Oh, and anything that SEEMS to be a mistake, that's the casual anime mistake, in case people were gonna go "Derp, card don't work like that, derp". By the by... thanks for the review, Jazelle! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own 5D's, however I do own the OC's included here~


	11. A Battle to Behold: Alice vs Rose!

"Battle! Stardust Dragon attacks Fallen Angel of the Stars – Aeries! Shooting…" Yusei began, and Akiza nodded her head at Yusei."SONIC!" Akiza and Yusei both shouted as a crimson-colored stream of energy burst forth from Stardust Dragon's mouth, and the roars of Black Rose Dragon echoed from the stream of energy. The Fallen Angel screamed as the energy stream pierced through the Fallen Angel's body, finishing the battle between the Signer and the Fallen Angel.

Akiza: 0 Life Points

"I… see…" Aeries toppled towards the side, "I see… this is the power that… defeated ZONE…." Aeries staggered once more, looking down at Akiza, shattering into miniature black sparkles.

"Don't worry about what you've done, Akiza" Yusei said with a reassuring smile on his face as he took a few steps over to the girl he never took his eyes off of.

Akiza frowned, "I can't just be forgiven so quickly, Yusei. This isn't the first time where I've hurt you, this is now three times where I've brought you close to death…."

"Akiza, it's not your fault that you harmed me…" Yusei took a hold of Akiza's hands, looking only at her eyes as the next words came out of his mouth. "I never stopped caring about you, even after the incident, even after the day you and I first met in battle after who knows how long... Akiza, I care about you, I care about my bonds. No matter what you would've done, I still wouldn't have stopped caring about you..."

"Yusei…" Akiza whispered. "…" her lips formed a smile as she embraced Yusei, holding him as close as she possibly could. "Thank you so much… thank you for everything you've ever done for me…" she said in a low, graceful whisper. The two's eyes met, and reflected images of each other. They never stopped looking in one another's eyes, as if they were locked in that position for eternity.

"Hmph, romance..." Rose walked away with a scowl across her face.

"W-whoa! Wait up!" Johnny ran behind the girl, the two of them leaving Arianna behind with Yusei and Akiza, the two who seemed so intertwined with one another's feelings.

* * *

_Several feet away from Yusei and Akiza..._

"Johnny, stop following me you goddamned brat!" Rose shouted while still walking away from the scene between Akiza and Yusei.

"But Rose, I'm pretty sure getting separated again isn't going to help us much what with all the attacks we've been getting from the Fallen Angels now!" Johnny pleaded, still following behind the girl. "Come on, let's just head back before it's too late!"

"No, Johnny! Sights like that disgust me... I refuse to stand around there while they're busy sharing feelings..." Rose said with a hateful tone in her voice.

"Don't tell me you liked Yusei" Johnny said with shifty eyes.

"Johnny, that's not the problem!" Rose turned to look at him with a glare from her crystal-blue eyes. "The problem is that no one is getting serious around here!"

"The problem is that she wants you to make out with her and she's jealous that she's not getting any from you" a female said out of nowhere, walking out from an alleyway nearby.

"Oh great, another Fallen Angel?" Johnny questioned, raising his Duel Disk as he checked his surroundings.

"No, Alvarez! Damn, you think wrongly of situations, don't you?" the female voice said as the female was coming closer, coming into the light. "So, how's it been going, Alvarez?"

Johnny looked and saw that the female was the one he met earlier. "A-Alice?" the boy questioned, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Yeah, it's me. Who else did you think it was going to be, Alvarez?" Alice answered, crossing her arms.

"Uh... a Fallen Angel...?" Johnny's eyes shifted to Rose, who was staring at the girl.

"And just who the hell does she think she is by saying that crap to me! I don't like this idiot here, and that's all there is to say about that subject!" Rose shouted, her psychic powers about to let loose.

"Then why are you so hell-bent on beating him? You seem to have some pent-up sexual tension for Alvarez here" Alice said, continually provoking Rose's argument. "You too, Alvarez. I see the way you're looking at the girl... and I frankly find it cute."

"WE DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER!" both Johnny and Rose shouted.

"I'd rather be buried alive than stuck with this idiot for the rest of my days!" Rose pointed at Johnny.

"And I'd rather have to be stuck with Alice over here than you!" Johnny pointed at Alice while looking at Rose.

"And look how the two of you react to me just pointing out the facts. I swear you two are a match made in heaven" Alice waved her hands like the fluttering wings of a butterfly.

"SHUT UP!" Rose shouted, turning red before taking a step at Alice and a black aura surrounded the girl. "Shut up... I absolutely refuse to let someone like you say stupid stuff like that about me!"

"Then put your Deck where your mouth is, and Duel me. Prove me wrong!" Alice said with a grin on her face. She obviously had a different intention in mind, but it's not like Johnny or Rose ever had to know.

"Fine then! I'll show you how much I despise this boy!" Rose raised her Duel Disk, slamming her Deck into the Duel Disk. "Johnny, just you watch, the way I'm going to kick the crap out of your girlfriend, I'll do it twice as hard to you!" she pointed at the boy.

"Really, how'd this turn into a fight about me?" Johnny asked with a sweat drop. _I seriously think she took Alice the wrong way..._

"I'm not his girlfriend, nor will I ever think of him as anything more than Alvarez, but sure, let yourself think whatever so you can win back your man" Alice said with a taunting giggle.

"DUEL!" both Alice and Rose shouted.

_Turn 1_

Alice: 4000

Rose: 4000

"I'll take the first turn, Rose!" Alice drew her card gracefully, looking at the card in her hand with a smile. "First, I'll set this Monster face-down, and set two cards face-down. Turn end!" she said as a horizontal card and two vertical face-down cards appeared on the holographic field. "And now, I'll just end my turn on that."

"Hmph, what a pathetic start! Fits so well with you, seeing as you yourself are as pathetic as that turn you made!" Rose said with a smirk on her face. "I'll show you what a real turn is!"

_Turn 2_

"Draw!" Rose drew hew next card, analyzing the move she could make. "Alright, time for me to kick you around! I'll Normal Summon **Fabled Raven**!" she commanded as a single demon appeared on the field, it's red claws glowing malevolently.

Fabled Raven: 1300 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"Next, I'll set one card, and activate Fabled Raven's Monster Effect!" Rose pointed at the demon.

"Oh?"

"Through his effect, I discard as many cards as I choose from my hand, and then his Level increases for each one, along with a 400 Attack Point boost!" Rose instructed as she took two cards in her hand and placed them into her discard pile. "Now his Level is boosted by 2, and he gains 800 attack points! _Demonic Calling_!" she explained as her demon roared and increased in size slightly.

Fabled Raven: 2100 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4 | Tuner

"Next, the effect of one of my discarded Monsters, **Fabled Lurrie** activates! When it's been discarded, I can Special Summon it right back onto the Field!" Rose began to laugh as a light shone from her graveyard, and a miniature demon with a large grin appeared on the field.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 1

"Oh? A Level 1 Monster with those kind of stats? And you called me pathetic" Alice said teasingly with a grin.

"However, this Level 1 Monster is going to stay any longer on this field! I'll set two more cards face-down, and then I'll Tune the Level 1 Fabled Lurrie to my Level 4 Fabled Raven!" four rings surrounded a single orb of light. "_Oh greedy one, rise again from the depths of the earth!_ Synchro Summon!" a golden light exploded from the process, revealing a golden-armored demon that roared mightily. "Reveal yourself..." Rose smirked, "**Fabled Ragin**!" the golden demon then crossed his arms, staring down at Alice.

Fabled Ragin: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 5

"The effect of Fabled Ragin now activates! When he's Synchro Summoned, while I'm holding 1 or less cards in my hand, I can draw until I'm holding two cards in my hand!" Rose was about to grab the top two cards of her deck.

"Wait right there, Rose! Who said I'm going to let you pull through with that? Continuous Trap activate, **Fiendish Chain**!" Alice commanded as a trap card flipped up, and a black chain suddenly shot out towards Fabled Ragin!

"What? What're you doing?" Rose watched as the chain surrounded Fabled Ragin, completely trapping it in a painful-looking grip. "What the hell does that card do?"

"What it does is that it completely binds your Monster, barring it's effect to be null and void, along with preventing it's ability to attack!" Alice explained with a giggle.

"W-wow... preventing the ability to attack and negating the effect of a Monster?" Johnny whistled, feeling a little impressed. "

"Tch... now I have to waste this card..." Rose muttered before flipping open her spell card. "I'll activate my **Demonic Spawn**! I can remove from play 1 Fiend-type Monster resting in the graveyard and Special Summon another Fiend-type Monster from the deck with the same name! I'll remove from play the **Fabled Kushano** in my graveyard in order to Special Summon a second one right out from my deck!" she commanded as the book-holding demon appeared on the field, pushing up its glasses and cackling gently.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

_I could Synchro Summon... but... is that what she wants me to do? Is that what she's aiming to stop? is her face-down Monster important enough for her to set a double-layered protection?_ Rose thought carefully, looking between her Fabled Kushano and the face-down Monster. "Tch..."

"So, what's the matter, Rose? Weren't you going to 'kick the crap outta me', as you said you were gonna do?" Alice provoked with a smirk on her face.

"Fine then! I'll come at you with all I've got!" Rose clenched her fists as she shouted those words for Alice to hear clearly. "I'll Tune the Level 5 Fabled Ragin with my Level 3 Fabled Kushano!" she raised her hand as five orbs of light were surrounded perfectly by three circles of green light. "_Hatred, arise here in the form of a demon! Become the servant of the devil! _Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing a tall, black-armored demon with a devilishly handsome grin on its face that matched perfectly with the goatee it wore. Rose smirked once again "Reveal yourself, **Fabled Valkyrus**!"

Fabled Valkyrus: 2900 Attack / 1700 Defense | Level 8

"Ooh, an even bigger demon..." Alice pretended to shiver, "I'm sooo scaaared..." the girl said in a teasingly sarcastic manner.

"Tch, silence, girl!" Rose shouted as she pointed at the facedown Monster. "Fabled Valkyrus, attack that facedown Monster!" she commanded as the black-armored demon took into action, soaring into the air and dive-bombed towards the facedown with its claws reaching out.

"Heh, good work... reveal yourself, **Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier**!" Alice flipped up the card, revealing a frozen bird that squawked as the claws pierced through its body, shattering it to pieces.

Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier: 300 Attack / 500 Defense | Level 1

"When Blizzed is destroyed by battle, I can draw one card!" she instructed as she immediately drew another card. "Thank you, Rose, you've given me the chance to draw into a card I needed" Alice said in a light tone with a grin across her face.

"Tch... turn end!" Rose shouted.

_Turn 3_

"My turn, draw!" Alice swiped the top card of her deck with graceful, yet fluid movement like she did against Johnny.

_Something's with me... am I the only one seeing this?_ Johnny stared at Alice, watching the girl's movements. _This Duel's burning me up..._ He placed a hand over his heart. _I... I feel like Dueling...!_

"I'll start off by activating the Continuous Spell Card called **Water Hazard**! Through this card's effect, all I have to do is control no Monsters in order to Special Summon a WATER-Attribute Monster sitting in my hand" Alice instructed as she smiled sweetly and revealed a card in her hand. "Through that effect, I Special Summon **Strategist of the Ice Barrier**!" a blue-robed old man appeared on the field as he grunted a little bit.

Strategist of the Ice Barrier: 1600 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 4

"Hmph, summoning an old man on the field... goes to show how horrible you are as a Duelist" Rose said coldly, crossing her arms with a frown at Alice's move.

"This old man's got a good effect. The effect of Strategist activates right now! I take an Ice Barrier in my hand and ditch it in order to draw a new card! I'll ditch my **Gantala, General of the Ice Barrier** into the grave and then draw one new card!" she instructed as the card was placed into her discard pile and she swiped the next card, looking at it. "Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier**!" a thin-looking man with an icy wand appeared on the field, grunting as he pointed the wand high towards the air.

Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier: 1300 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"I'll Tune the Level 4 Strategist of the Ice Barrier to my Level 2 Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier!" she began as two rings of sky-blue light wrapped around an aligned set of four stars. "_Oh mighty tiger, shake fear into my enemies with a spirit-shattering roar! Arise from the snow-clad lands! Synchro Summon! Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier__! _Synchro Summon!" the light exploded, revealing the blue-furred tiger with black armor in all its might. The tiger roared and growled, staring at Fabled Valkyrus.

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 2000 Attack / 1400 Defense | Level 6

"Hmph, what a pathetic creature you've dared to summon in front of me..." Rose said with a deep anger in her tone of voice.

"Wait, that Monster..." Johnny's eyes widened as he remembered it from his Duel against Alice earlier. "Uh oh! Rose, you're in for some hell!"

"I'm in for hell? From a Monster with _only_ 2000 Attack Points? Johnny, you must be stupider than I thought" Rose responded, glaring at the boy.

"Oh, he's right... but I'm not done yet! I'll you feel what Johnny felt in just a moment! Continuous Trap Card activate!" Alice flipped up her last facedown card. "I'll activate **Call of the Haunted**! Through this card's effect, I Special Summon a Monster in my graveyard!" the ground suddenly began to crack as the blue-robed old man appeared from the ground, yelling in full might.

Strategist of the Ice Barrier: 1600 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 4

"Next, I use my Strategist's Monster Effect! I send an Ice Barrier from the hand to the graveyard in order to draw one new card!" Alice revealed yet another Ice Barrier Monster she was holding in her hand. "I'll ditch **Defender of the Ice Barrier**!" she instructed, ditching the card before drawing a new one.

"Tch, will your turn actually _end_ or do I have to make a separate Duel against Johnny to pass the goddamned time?" Rose asked impatiently.

"Nope, 'cause now I activate the effect of my Dewloren! By returning face-up cards on my field to my hand, he'll gain 500 attack points for each and every one of them!" Alice's tiger roared loudly as a breeze picked up from around it. "First, I'll return Strategist, then my Fiendish Chain, then my Call of the Haunted, and then I'll finally return my Water Hazard to my hand!" she gracefully picked the four cards up from her Duel Disk, returning them to her hand.

"Wait, that's four cards..." Johnny mused to himself as he took note of it.

"Since I returned four cards, my Tiger King gains 2000 Attack Points!" she said with a smile as her Dewloren began to increase in size and its roars grew louder with each passing second of its growth!

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 4000 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 6

"F-Four Thousand Attack!" Rose said almost fearfully before shaking her head clean of those thoughts. "Tch, not impressive..." she said almost spitefully.

"Doesn't matter if you find it impressive, Rose. I'll activate my Spell Card called **Moray of Greed**! Now, I return two WATER-Attribute Monsters in my hand to the deck, shuffle, and then I draw 3 new cards!"

"Draw 3?"

Alice revealed the two cards she chose to return, confirming them to be **Strategist of the Ice Barrier **and **General Raiho of the Ice Barrier**. "Now to return them and draw 3!" she instructed as she shuffled the two cards back into her deck, and then swiped the top three cards off of her deck. "Next, I'll set 3 cards face-down... Battle!" she pointed at Dewloren. "Dewloren attacks **Fabled Valkyrus**!"

"Tch, Trap Card open, **Demon Save**! During this turn, by reducing the attack of a Fiend-type Monster by 500, it cannot be destroyed by battle!"

Fabled Valkyrus: 2300 Attack

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 4000 Attack

"You'll still be taking damage, Rose!" Alice pointed out with a grin as the large tiger sprung into action, leaping at Fabled Valkyrus as the two got into an epic clash of might. The tiger swung its mighty claws at Valkyrus as the demon attempted to fight back, unable to rid it's enemy, but the tiger wasn't able to get rid of its prey either. Both combatants then backed off from one another, returning to their masters' sides.

"Tch..." Rose muttered as her Life Points dropped all of a sudden.

Rose: 2300

"Turn End... and during the End Phase, my Tiger King returns to 2000 Attack. Your move..." Alice said coldly, her grin still there.

_W-wow... She's so... cool..._ Johnny blinked, now watching only Alice as if he'd forgotten Rose was also Dueling.

_Turn 4_

"My move, draw!" Rose drew her next card, and then looked at Fabled Valkyrus. "I activate Fabled Valkyrus' Monster effect! Once per turn, I discard a single Fiend-type card" Rose dropped a **Fabled Krus** into her discard pile, "and then I can draw one card!" Rose instructed, drawing her next card. "Next, **Fabled Krus**' effect activates from within the grave! When discarded, I Special Summon a level 4 or Lower Fabled Monster existing in the graveyard! Be revived, **Fabled Lurrie**!" the miniature demon sprouted from the ground, cackling as he circled around Fabled Valkyrus like a playful pet.

Fabled Lurrie: 200 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 1

"Next, I'll activate my grave-bound **Fabled Kushano**'s Monster Effect! I can add him from the graveyard to my hand by merely discarding 1 'Fabled' in my hand! With that in mind, I'll discard **The Fabled Ganashia**!" Rose added the aforementioned Fabled Kushano to her hand, but then her discard pile shone with a bright light. "Now, **The Fabled Ganashia**'s Monster Effect activates in the graveyard! When it has been discarded, I can Special Summon it back onto the field with a 200 point boost!" she explained with a smirk across her face as the cries of a demonic elephant could be heard, and the light faded away to reveal an elephant on two legs. The elephant trumpeted as it stomped several times, staring at Dewloren.

**The Fabled Ganashia**: 1800 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 3

"However, in his current condition, if he were to suddenly leave the field... he'd be removed from the game" Rose mentioned the setback lightly before smirking again. "Next, I'll activate my last face-down card called **Charge of the Light Brigade**! Through this effect, I select a single "**Lightsworn**" Monster from the deck to my hand, and then I ditch the top three cards of my deck... I'll add **Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress** to my hand!" she instructed as the card ejected itself from her Duel Disk, and she dragged the top three cards of her deck to the discard pile.

"Hm, fine with me..." Alice commented with a grin on her face.

"Next I use the effect of **Level Eater** in the graveyard! By lowering the Level of my **Fabled Valkyrus**, I can return it from the graveyard onto the field!" Rose instructed as a ladybug appeared on the field after flying through Fabled Valkyrus.

Level Eater: 600 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 1

"I see, so you ditched it with your little Charge of the Light Brigade... So that's what you were aiming to do just then with that card..." Alice took note, rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

"I'll Normal Summon **Fabled Kushano**! Come to me, my servant!" Rose called out as the book-wielding demon appeared on the field with a malevolent cackle.

Fabled Kushano: 1100 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Finally... I'll Tune the Level 1 Level Eater, Level 1 Fabled Lurrie, Level 3 The Fabled Ganashia, and Fabled Kushano together!" Rose clenched her fist and raised it to the sky as three rings surrounded the alignment of five stars.

_Level 8..._ Alice thought to herself before grinning. _She's summoning it... her Signer Dragon!_

"_My flames of hate, arise here before us! Wipe out those who stand before us with your creation-shaking flames!_ Synchro Summon!" the light faded away, revealing a black portal between both Alice and Rose. Erupting from the hole was darkness that then took on the form of a dragon that roared mightily. "Escape, **Hellfire Dragon**!" Rose began to laugh as her Signer Dragon formed on the field, roaring loudly as it then looked down upon Alice herself.

Hellfire Dragon: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 8

"So it's here, your Ace Monster..." Alice muttered, almost feeling a rush from the Duel. "Now, let's see if you can win with it, that's what I'd like to see!" she said with an excited tone in her voice.

"Battle! **Hellfire Dragon** attacks your **Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier**!" Rose commanded as the demon came to life again, charging at the large tiger.

"Sorry, but... Continuous Trap activate, **Gravity Bind**! Through this card's effect, Level 4 or Higher Monsters cannot declare an attack!" Alice commanded as a blue orb appeared between both Rose and Alice's field. Suddenly, the large Monsters on their fields began to grunt and fall, as if they were resisting a sudden increase in gravity.

"Tch, what a shrewd trick..." Rose said. "I'll end my turn!"

"During your End Phase, I activate my face-down card: **Call of the Haunted**! Now, I can Special Summon 1 Monster I've buried into my graveyard! I call you back, **Defender of the Ice Barrier**!" Alice said with a grin before placing her hand at the top of her deck.

_Turn 5_

"My turn, draw!" Alice swiped the top card with a graceful movement before smiling. "Now, I use the effect of my **Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier**! I'll return **Gravity Bind**, **Defender of the Ice Barrier**, and then **Call of the Haunted**!" she declared as she took the cards straight back into her hand, and the blue-furred tiger roared once more, increasing in size.

Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier: 3500 Attack / 1600 Defense

"3500!" Johnny commented, still watching the strange girl make her moves.

"Ah, hold on... it's getting a little too hot out here..." Alice said, starting to take off her stockings again.

"W-wah!" Johnny immediately covered his eyes to prevent himself from looking like a pervert. "Why the heck are you doing that?"

"It's just hot out here... my body hates the heat, Johnny..." Alice answered before removing her spring dress and revealing her black singlet and shorts again.

"You do realize I'm not a man, I'm not going to drool just because you started stripping" Rose said with slight rage in her tone. _What kind of idiot is she! She just takes her clothes off out of nowhere... with a boy watching this, no less!_

"Sorry" Alice then revealed a card in her hand. "That's it, I'm ending this Duel in this turn" she said softly as the Spell Card in her hand began to glow. "I use my **Magical Triangle of the Ice Barrier**!"

"T-that card...!" Johnny's eyes widened as he remembered it.

"I reveal 3 different Ice Barrier Monsters to you, and then, I destroy a card on your field in order to Special Summon one of the revealed Ice Barrier Monsters..." Alice then extracted three cards from her hand, and revealed them all. "**Defender of the Ice Barrier**, **Dewdark of the Ice Barrier**, and finally, **Caravan of the Ice Barrier**!" she named them all as a triangle began to form on Rose's side of the field, and an iceberg slowly erupted from underneath Fabled Valkyrus!

"W-what the?" Rose watched as the iceberg pierced the demon, and shattered it whole!

"Now, I'll Special Summon **Dewdark of the Ice Barrier** from my hand!" Alice commanded as a ninja appeared on the field with two knives in his hand, and then the blond-haired ninja stared straight at Rose with a glare.

Dewdark of the Ice Barrier: 1200 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"And now, I'll Normal Summon **Caravan of the Ice Barrier**!" a slithering snake-like creature appeared on the field, hissing at Rose.

Caravan of the Ice Barrier: 500 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 1

Johnny uncovered his eyes, raising an eyebrow. "Huh? Why did she gather those weak little things?"

"That's what I'd like to know..." Rose muttered, not appearing to be pleased with the turn of events that transpired just now.

"It's showtime, Rose!" Alice clapped her hands as Dewloren roared, bursting into six orbs of light while Caravan turned into a single orb, and Dewdark turned into a cluster of two sky-blue rings. "Watch carefully, Alvarez, this is the move that's going to impress you the most, since you seem to be gazing at my moves with such awe..." she said with a smile towards Johnny.

"And what're you talking about?" Rose demanded to know as the light wa slowly bursting with energy.

"_Oh ancient dragon of ice, may your frozen shackles become undone as you annihilate all existence! Wipe the world clean with absolute zero and freeze time itself_!" Alice chanted as the light exploded into nothing, and a chilly mist began to form. "Clense the World, **Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier**!" Alice commanded as the roars of a dragon could be heard, and the mist suddenly faded away with the fanning of a large, three-headed dragon with blue scales all over its body!

Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier: 2700 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 9

"Hmph, talk about pathetic... Your Monster required three Synchro Materials, and yet it's stats are so low!" Rose spat with a confident grin on her face.

"Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier's Monster Effect now activates upon its Synchro Summon! Rose, this is where it ends! _Influence Freeze_! First, I remove from play a card in your graveyard! I'll pick... your **Fabled Kushano**!" the left head of Trishula roared and its yellow eyes glowed, launching a beam of white light at Rose's discard pile.

"Tch..." Rose took the card out from her discard pile. "That all?"

"Nope! Now I can remove from play a random card in your hand, but you have nothing to remove..."

"Tch, good riddance then. Are you fi-"

"And now, Trishula removes from play 1 card on your side of the field!"

"Wait, what? You can't target my Hellfire Dragon...!" Rose looked at the girl as if she were exceptionally insane.

"Too bad, Rose, my Monster's effect doesn't target!" Alice answered back, shaking her head calmly as the middle head of the dragon launched a beam of white light at Hellfire Dragon, and it roared as it suddenly vanished from the field.

"W-what the... how's that... even..." Rose began to back away.

"W-whoa! I never saw that card before..." Johnny stuttered in surprise as the dragon.

"You impressed, Alvarez?" Alice looked at the boy's surprised emerald eyes. "I can tell you are..." she then looked at Rose. "And now, you've lost this Duel! Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier, attack Rose directly! _World Annihilation_!" she commanded as the three-headed dragon took to the sky, its three heads charging white energy within their mouths.

"How could... I lose... to this girl...?" Rose said, unable to stop the repeating memory of her Hellfire Dragon being removed from the field. The dragon's white beams all shot at Rose, completely engulfing her with holographic light as her Life Points beeped.

Rose: 0

Alice began to jump with excitement, "WOO! YES! I WIN!" she shouted happily.

"Rose lost..." Johnny muttered, walking slowly over to Rose.

"DON'T YOU DARE COME NEAR ME!" the defeated girl shouted.

"E-er... why?"

"I don't need your sympathy... I don't need your pity! I hate it... I hate when people think they need to feel pity for me! This was just a single game, and she got lucky... that's all that happened!" Rose yelled at Johnny before turning away to walk away from the two.

"A-ah, wait!" Johnny was about to give chase.

"Wait, Alvarez" Alice said, and Johnny immediately stopped to look at the girl.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"What, you're not happy that I won? Hm, would've thought that a boy with a crush on me would've been excited for me" the girl provoked him with her words.

"D-don't say things like 'crushing' or anything like that! I ain't ever going to consider you anything more than a girl who can kick ass!" Johnny flailed his arms in complaint.

"I'm happy to know that then, Alvarez" Alice responded, crossing her arms. "Now didn't that Duel remind you of how badly you lost against me? Oh right, you only lost to Dewloren and Brionac, while your girlfriend there lost to one of my best cards, Trishula."

"Wait... best _cards_? You mean you have another one just as bad as that Trishula?" Johnny questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you saying... you want to see it?" Alice asked, poking at Johnny's apparent curiosity.

"I... I really should get to Rose, we might get separated again..." Johnny backed away slowly.

"Alvarez, bearer of the Crimson Dragon's Wings... such a fitting thing for you. Flying and striving to be just as good as those who are better than you..." Alice brushed some of her hair away from her face.

"Er... I'm just... gonna go... catch ya later!" Johnny was about to turn away before he felt a sudden chill run up his spine. _Oh no... not this again...!_

"Good evening, Johnny Alvarez, and the young lady accompanying him tonight..." a voice rang out.

"And who the hell was what?" Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Judging by the voice... it's no one I really wanna see right now..." Johnny answered, gulping. _This ain't good... and there's an innocent bystander here too!_

* * *

Author's Note: Woooo~! Now I can take a small break so I can catch up with what I'm ahead with, and then write it all the way to the end. Expect a somewhat large delay, 'cause the upcoming Duel's gonna be one of the most epic ones yet!

Disclaimer: I don't own 5D's, yatta yatta yatta.


	12. A Fallen Flame

"These guys... they're..." Johnny looked around with what almost looked like instinctual fear in his eyes.

"What are you babbling about?" Alice looked at Johnny, estranged and confused. She herself didn't understand the situation too much. _Alvarez looks almost... scared. What could it be that's on his mind right now?_

"These guys... Corvx... and Regis..." Johnny muttered, suddenly remembering the faces of Jack and Crow as they entered the Void. His memories then flashed an image of the looks of despair on Crow and Jack's faces in the Void. _I see... this is my chance to get them back with this Duel..._ Johnny closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly.

"What are you talking about? Tell me now, Alvarez" Alice said, taking a step towards him, but she stopped as the boy's eyes were opening.

"Alice, please leave... I gotta handle this myself..." Johnny said, his green eyes revealing a burning aura within them as he took a step towards the shadowy figures ahead. "You remember that duel Rose went through, right?" he asked before looking at the girl.

"Y-yes..." Alice answered, taken aback at the new look in Johnny's eyes. _This isn't like the boy I was dealing with back there... Did something just suddenly change him?_

"You can't handle these guys... I'll do this myself. If Yusei or the others come looking for me, just don't mention a word of where I went" Johnny said, placing a hand over his chest. "I'll take on Corvx and Regis on my own... the both of them!"

"You're a fool, Alvarez" Alice responded before taking a step at the boy and tapping his chest with her index finger, "Don't try acting so tough. It's not going to get you anywhere. You know as much as I do that you couldn't handle me. Wouldn't it be smarter to bring a more skilled member to help you?" the girl asked.

"Alice, I don't doubt how strong you are..." the boy took the girl's hand and moved it away. "But no matter how strong ya are... you can't handle anything like these guys" Johnny shook his head.

Alice immediately withdrew her hand from his, "I'm just saying that you lost 4000-0 to me, and yet you think I'm going to be in the way!"

"Alice, I'm puttin' my foot down on this. You need to get outta here... things get heavy around Duels like this..." Johnny crossed his arms, looking directly at the girl's violet eyes, staring deep into the dark pools.

"...Stop that tough act!" Alice responded, not taking his decision too well. "You're not any stronger than me if you lost to me 4000-0!" she tried to bring up Johnny's loss once again.

"Alice, I beg of you..." Johnny said lightly, smiling as he patted the girl's head. "I don't want someone to get hurt, this is something I have to deal with."

"Shut up! You think that act is going to not result in hurting someone! Telling another 'where I go, you can't follow' also hurts those around you!" Alice spoke back before taking a step forward towards the shadowy figures as well. "I don't care what you say, I refuse to let you all alone on this! Not if there's a good Duel waiting ahead!"

"Alice!" Johnny walked over to the girl, attempting to stop her with a hand on her shoulder before the girl looked at him with her violet eyes.

"I don't care, Johnny... I don't care if you think I'll be hurt in the process of this Duel... Just pretend you don't know me! Tagging with me should be an honor for someone of lesser skill like yourself!" Alice said almost arrogantly, looking away from the boy again.

"...I don't like it, Alice... but..." Johnny stepped forward towards the shadows. "Come with me, if you seriously do want to..." the boy muttered as he continued to step towards the shadowy figures, their shapes slowly becoming more visible as he walked towards them.

"Hmph, you better be glad I'm coming with you, despite what you did right there!" the girl followed directly behind him, watching the shadows up ahead become clearer images, two men of apparently different styles. _These guys don't look so tough..._

"So, Johnny Alvarez... have you decided to bring your friend Alice Mizore along for the battle? Are you quite sure you'd like to see your lovely lady there... _suffer_?" Corvx allowed that one word to slip out of his mouth like a threatening hiss as a black aura appeared around his body. "There's no turning back now, Johnny Alvarez."

"Oh come on, Alvarez, now you know it isn't going to be fun crushing you if your girlfriend's also in the way... Ah, well... it's not like we can't just get rid of her and make you suffer worse pains in your heart" Regis said with a grin across his face as he raised his Duel Disk.

"Shut up about suffering, you freaks, Alvarez here is nothing more than someone who I defeated quickly! Even without him, I'd still kick out both your Life Points to 0!" Alice said with bold confidence.

_I suddenly wanna know why I brought this girl along... The hell was I smoking?_ The boy face-palmed himself. "I don't have to worry about her, Corvx! I'll make sure to defeat you two before you can bring her harm!" Johnny pointed at himself. "This battle is still between you bastards and I! I won't allow you to harm any other innocent lives... and I'll do it by defeating the two of you in a Tag Duel!" he said with powerful resolve in his words, raising his Duel Disk as his Wings of the Dragon birthmark suddenly shone a bright light.

"Then, you foolish boy, are going to drag in that innocent life there" Corvx pointed at Alice.

"Yes, I intend on it... She's powerful on her own. With the two of us, you're going down!" Johnny said with a grin on his face.

"Hmph, Fire and Water? That can only create Steam, Johnny Alvarez..." Corvx shook his head before raising his Duel Disk.

"Let's get this thing started!" Alice said with an excited grin as she raised her Duel Disk as well. _Alvarez... I'm going to show you... I'm going to show you my strength! I'm not as useless as you think I am... even without a Signer Birthmark, or a Signer Dragon... I'm still stronger than you!_

"Duel!" the four participants shouted.

Johnny: 4000

Alice: 4000

Corvx: 4000

Regis: 4000

_Turn 1_

"I'll take the first move, if you don't have any arguments, Regis" Corvx took the sixth card of the top of his deck and added it into his hand. "First, I'll begin with **Falling Curse**. "Now, I select either Player, and they will take 1000 damage while the controller of this card will take a minor 500 points of damage..." Corvx grinned, looking between Alice and then Johnny. "Now, who shall suffer the first attack on their Life?" the man asked with a sadistic tone.

"Tch, I'll take it! I've taken worse than 1000 before!" Alice pointed at herself.

"No! You're after me, Corvx, I'll take the damage! You know you want to end me quickly so you can retreive the missing Blackfeather Dragon and Red Daemon's Dragon!" Johnny placed his hand on his chest. "So why go after someone irrelevant when you can go for your target?" he asked as he took a step forward.

"I see your point, Alvarez... or are you doing this so you can stave off an attack on that girl's life points?" Corvx asked with a hint of teasing sadism.

"Alvarez, why would you want to take the damage! Are you crazy?" Alice looked at him with a bewildered look on her face.

"I've got a plan!" Johnny answered back. _Alice... no... I intend on protecting you... With these hands, and this body of mine... I'll protect you, even if my body has to be destroyed!_

"Fine then, Alvarez, you will accept the first damage! Take 1000!" the man commanded as the sounds of an eerie chanting could be heard, and a purple aura suddenly surrounded Johnny's body.

"A-AH!" Johnny shouted as his heart began to race, and his Life Points slowly dropped from 4000, decreasing by 10's. "G-gah!" he fell onto his knees as his Life Point parameters shot down to 3000, and he placed a hand over his heart, eyes wide in surprise.

Johnny: 3000

"W-why would you take that for me?" Alice shouted at Johnny.

"It's because... I've got a plan..." Johnny panted, standing up before stumbling. The boy shook his head as he struggled to stand up straight.

"And now, I'll be accepting 500 points of damage..." Corvx said as his Life Points dropped without a single twitch from him.

Corvx: 3500

"Don't you feel the pain either, you?" Alice pointed at Corvx. "If we're the only ones who receive Real Damage, it's an unbalanced game!"

"Oh, we receive the damage as well... however..." Corvx began to chuckle a little bit. "Our bodies are fine-tuned to all forms of torment, pain, and even going so far as to stand near-death" the man pointed at himself. "Essentially, the minor damage you deal to us isn't as harmful as it is to your weaker bodies, Alice Mizore" the man said with that grin across his face.

"Tch..." Alice then looked at Johnny who was just standing there, breathing heavily as he stared at both Regis and Corvx, the targets in his eyes.

"And now, I activate the ability of my **Darklord Zetias**! When I am inflicted effect damage by a card effect, I can Special Summon this Monster onto the field!" Corvx revealed the level 5 Monster he held in his hand. "So with that, I'll Special Summon it onto the field in attack mode!" a sudden burst of darkness occurred on the field as a shadowy figure erupted from the ground, and its large black wings suddenly unfolded. The shadows slowly faded, revealing a gray-skinned man with large muscles and a heavily sickenining-looking face.

Darklord Zetias: 2300 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 5

"A strong Monster already, eh?" Johnny asked lightly before grinning. "Expect that thing to be gone once it's Alice's turn."

"I'll end my turn, Johnny Alvarez. Let's see if fate smiled upon you tonight..."

_Turn 2_

"My move, draw!" Johnny drew his new card. "First, I'll summon my **Jurrac Velo**!" flames sprouted onto the field as a large dinosaur appeared on the field, revealing it's colorful scales and it roared pridefully.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 4

"Then, I'll set two cards down! Since it's my first turn also, I can't attack..." Johnny looked at Alice and nodded his head at her with a grin.

"What the hell are you looking at, Alvarez?" Alice looked around.

"Nothing..." Johnny shook his head. "Turn End."

_Turn 3_

"Alright then, Johnny, time to show you a thing or two! Draw!" Regis drew his next card before revealing the Monster in his hand. "First, I'll Normal Summon my **Vairon Soldier**!" he commanded as a mechanical-looking fairy descended onto the field, beeping as a mystical light wrapped all around it.

**Vairon Soldier**: 1700 Attack / 1000 Defense | Level 4

"And next, I'll activate two Equip Spells called **Vairon Material** and **Vairon Component**! Through these two cards effects, my Vairon not only gains 600 Attack Points, but he also gets the ability to perform pierce damage!"

Vairon Soldier: 2300 Attack / 1000 Defense

"600 Boost and a Pierce, just for those face-up spells? Wait 'til I blow them up and make you cry!" Alice said with bold confidence.

"Now I activate the Continuous Spell known as **Vairon Element**! The effect of that card is irrelevant until I play this: **Weapon of Demise**! By selecting two Equip Spell cards on the Field, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the power boost they provide..." Regis smirked, pointing at Alice. "Shall I inflict it to that little lady over there?"

"Ye-"  
"No, Regis! Remember, your target's standing right here!" Johnny pointed at himself before revealing the Red Daemon's Dragon in his Extra Deck. "You want this back? You're gonna have to beat me! And to beat me... all your damage has to be thrown at me!" Johnny said, pointing at himself.

"Hm, good point, kid... Fine! Take my damage, Johnny Alvarez! Now, you fool, let's see you perish with these thoughts of protecting that girl!" Regis pointed at the boy as the two weapons on Vylon Prism all leaped at Johnny, one of them slipping past him harmlessly, but the other stabbed into his shoulder.

"G-Gah!" Johnny staggered as the weapon dug deep into his Duel Disk arm's shoulder.

"A-Alvarez!" Alice said in surprise, witnessing the weapon bury itself deep into his shoulder.

Johnny: 2400

"And now, my Equip Spells are destroyed" Regis calmly said as the two Equip Spells immediately exploded harmlessly.

"The effects of my **Vairon Component**, **Vairon Material**, and **Vairon Element **all activate! Now, Element's effect will Special Summon "Vairon" Tuner Monsters from my deck whenever a "Vairon" Equip-Spell is destroyed! Reveal yourselves, **Vairon Stella **and **Vairon Cube**!" a portal immediately ripped open as two beings of light slowly began to emerge from the portal. Two mechanical angels emerged, one appearing almost like a triangular pyramid with a ring on each tip of its body. The machine beeped and resonated along side with the already present single angel that also beeped. The other appeared very much like a cube with hands, glowing a bright light as it beeped with it's fellow siblings.

Vairon Stella: 1400 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

Vairon Cube: 800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Summoning more than one Tuner?" Alice questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"These conditions…" Johnny suddenly remembered Jack's Duel against Regis. "No…! These conditions are going to result in…!"

"Yes, Johnny Alvarez!" Regis said with a wide smirk on his face as his deck glowed once again. "However, the effects of my Vairon Component and Vairon Material have yet to be finished. When these equip spell cards are annihilated… I can search my deck for another "Vairon" Spell card of my choice. I'll pick… **Vairon Matter **and **Vairon Filament**!" the deck ejected the two cards, placing them into the man's hands.

"You seem like you know something about this, Alvarez" Alice looked at the boy, wondering what was going through his mind. _Not only did he just tempt two Fallen Angels into damaging him only, but he seemed to be taunting them into his direction rather than mine. Is this fool… trying to protect me?_

"Yeah… what he's trying… is Double Tuning…" Johnny explained, panting as he still felt his wound bleed warmly. Tch, they're going all out…

"Double Tuning?" Alice questioned.

"Double Tuning is a method of using Two Tuner Monsters in order to Synchro Summon a Monster of stronger power. Take it like Yusei's Accel Synchro Summons, except these kind of monsters are usually powerful" Johnny explained twitching.

"And Shooting Star Dragon isn't powerful, that's a strong implication you made there, Alvarez" Alice sweat dropped.

"And now, it's time… I'll Double Tune the **Vairon Soldier **to my** Vairon Cube **and **Vairon Stella**!" Regis commanded as he clenched his fist and the two machines burst into six rings of golden light. "I'll call upon their_ **Shining** **Soul**_!" Regis commanded as a golden light shone from his hand. He pointed his palm at the six rings of golden light "_Soul of light, guide these fools into your warm embrace! Lead them from the dark into eternal light! Appear now, mightiest envoy of the light!" _Regis commanded as the six golden rings spun around Vairon Soldier at increasingly high speeds. "Synchro Summon!" the light exploded with a gold radiance as the field around them began to shift into a holy shrine almost out of nowhere. Large pillars erected from the ground like trees, and then a shrine with a golden statue erupted from the ground. The golden statue had an appearance of a winged machine that was mighty large for its size. The golden light that exploded then surrounded the statue like an aura. "Descend and unleash your judgment, **Vairon Omega**!"

"Tch… here it comes…!" Johnny braced himself as the statue began to crack little by little.

"What the…?" Alice watched as the statue completely shattered, unleashing a large golden machine with mighty black wings the unfolded to reveal their long, slender forms! The golden machine beeped as a golden aura began to surround Jurrac Velo instantly.

Vairon Omega: 3200 Attack / 1900 Defense | Level 10

"Vairon Omega's Monster Effect! When he's been Synchro Summoned successfully, he immediately annihilates all Monsters that were Normal Summoned!" Regis began to laugh as Jurrac Velo roared in pain. "_Purity of Light_!" he commanded the ability as the flaming dinosaur shattered to pieces.

"Jurrac Velo!" Johnny watched his precious Monster become nothing but small pieces of digital scraps.

"Next, the powers of **Vairon Stella **and** Vairon Cube **activate! By paying 500 Life Points, my Vairon Stella will be equipped to my Vairon Omega. And then, Vairon Cube's effect fetches me an Equip Spell from the deck to my hand! And the one of my choice is… **Armed Changer**!" Regis added the card from his deck to his hand whilst his graveyard shone with a pleasant light, and the spirit of Vairon Stella appeared. Vairon Omega beeped as the spirit turned into a physical body and morphed into a shield-like apparel that was then equipped to Vairon Omega.

Regis: 3500

"Now that my Vairon Stella is equipped to Vairon Omega, my Omega will annihilate any Monster you dare put in his way! "Next, the ability of my Vairon Omega activates! Once per turn, I take a fallen Vairon Monster and equip it to him from the graveyard! I'll select my Vairon Cube!" the cube-like machine appeared from the graveyard, suddenly transforming into a cannon-like weapon as it then equipped itself onto the Omega's shoulder.

"T-that's… what the…!" Alice watched the large machine as it was slowly advancing and evolving with so many weapons attached to it.

"These aren't angels of salvation, my dear…" Regis said with a soft voice as he brushed some of his hair away from his face, grinning. "These are angels of _death_" the man said with emphasis.

"Angels of… death…?" Alice questioned, standing her ground. "Your Monster may have some impressive effects, but that's not enough to scare me!" she said boldly.

"A-Alice…" Johnny looked at the girl.

"Shut up, Alvarez. I know you're trying to protect me, and let me let you know… I DON'T NEED TO BE PROTECTED!" the girl placed a hand over her chest and then pointed at him accusingly. "I won't let you risk your Life just because of me. So be glad I'll be letting you risk my neck in this duel, Alvarez!"

"But Alice… if you take any of these hits you might…"

"I won't nothing, Alvarez" Alice nodded her head with a smile.

"I end my turn, kids. Let's see if you can fight back with the current conditions on this field" Regis said with a wide grin on his face.

_Turn 4_

_ In order to beat these guys, I'll have to clear off that Vairon Omega first. And in order to do that I'll need to summon something strong..._ "Alright then, it's my go! Draw!" Alice swiped the top card of her deck and identified it. "Yes! First, I'll start off the with **Water Hazard** continuous Spell! Now, in these current conditions, I can Special Summon a level 4 or Lower WATER-Attribute Monster if I control no Monsters while the enemy does!" she revealed a card in her hand. "And now I'll Special Summon **Strategist of the Ice Barrier**!" she commanded as a blue-robed man surfaced from the ground, and opened his scroll, reading it carefully with a grunt and a rub of his white beard.

Strategist of the Ice Barrier: 1600 Attack / 1600 Defense | Level 4

"I now activate his Monster effect! Once per turn, I take an 'Ice Barrier' Monster in my hand and ditch it into the graveyard...!"

"W-wait! Alice, don't do it!" Johnny warned, but it was too late, for the girl took a card in her hand and placed it into her discard pile.

"Too bad, it looks like you're the first to fall for it! **Vairon Omega**'s Monster Effect now activates! When you activate a Monster Effect, I can take a single card that's equipped to him and send it to the graveyard. Next, your Monster's effect is negated and the monster in question is immediately blown away from the field!" Regis commanded as the large machine began to glow with a bright light. A single weapon from it, Vairon Cube, immediately detached itself from the hulking machine as it charged right at the old man.

"Wait... what?" Alice's eyes shot open as the weapon pierced through the old man, and a red static appeared around his body as he shouted with pain.

"Say goodbye to that Monster, Alice Mizore!" the old man immediately shattered into millions of digital pixels along with the Vairon Cube.

"T-tch..." Alice looked at her emptied field. "Dammit... I'll set a Monster, two face-downs, and end my turn" she said, looking at the two fallen angels standing before her. _Darn, that wasn't... expected... Vairon Omega... what a powerful Synchro Monster that thing is..._

_Turn 5_

"You fools will never be able to defeat us the way you are..." Corvx said, shaking his head with a sign. "Draw" the man said nonchalantly as he confirmed what the card was. "Now, I'll play my **Soul Exchange** Spell Card. During this turn, I can conduct a Tribute Summon by using an opponent's Monster as a cost of a Tribute Summon" Corvx explained before pointing at the face-down Monster on Alice's field. "I'll use your Monster as a necessary sacrifice, along with the **Darklord Zetias** in order to Advance Summon...!"

"Tch, my **Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier**..." Alice muttered under her breath as the card was converted into a sphere of darkness along with the Darklord Serati on Corvx's side of the field.

"_Fallen Lord, aid me in my triumphant goal_! I'll Advance Summon my **Darklord Asmodeus**!" Corvx commanded as a large, muscular angel with dark skin appeared on the field, unfolding its large, black wings as it grunted with might.

Darklord Asmodeus: 3000 Attack / 2800 Defense | Level 8

"This one again..." Johnny muttered, rubbing his temples as he tried to remember the effect of Darklord Asmodeus.

"I activate his Monster Effect! Once per turn, I take a Fairy-Type Monster in my deck and send it to the graveyard... I'll select **Darklord Superbia** and send it to the graveyard!" Corvx said with a large smirk on his face. "I would strike one of you down, but... the effect of my Soul Exchange prevents me from initiating battle during this turn. You're in luck, Alvarez, and Mizore. Turn End."

_Turn 6_

"Alright then, Fallen Angels, looks like I'm gonna have to come at ya with a comeback move!" Johnny exclaimed in order to lighten up the mood as he placed his hand at the top of his deck. _I only need one of you guys in order to help me out... come on... deck, answer my calls!_ He quickly opened his eyes and swiped the top card of his deck without looking at it for a moment. His eyes peeked at it, seeing it was green in border. _Tch..._ He then saw what the card actually was. "YES! I knew it wasn't something bad!"

"What the hell are you cheering about, Alvarez? It better be something good!" Alice shouted at the boy.

"Oh it's something that'll definitely help us out! I'll activate the Spell Card called **Fossil Dig**! Now, I can take a Level 6 or Lower Dinosaur-type Monster from my deck and add it straight to my hand! I'll select... **Jurrac Guaiba**!" he took the card out from his deck, and grinned at it. "Now I'll activate the face-down card called **Tyanno Call**! During this turn, I can send all face-up Spell Cards on my opponent's side of the field in order to Special Summon 1 Dinosaur-type Monster, from my hand, with a Level Equal to or less than the Spells that were sent back. And ya know what? I see one Regis' side of the field! Looks like they'll be going back to you!"

"Wait... what?" Regis looked at his Vairon Element. _Tch..._

"And now, come on out **Jurrac Aeolo**!" flames appeared on the field, taking on the form of a miniature, hatchling dinosaur with pitiful roar.

Jurrac Aeolo: 200 Attack / 200 Defense | Level 1 | Tuner

"Next, I'll Normal Summon my **Jurrac Guaiba**!" flames danced on the field once more, spiraling as they took on the form of a savage-looking dinosaur with flames covering its teeth and its yellow body tightening with aggressiveness.

Jurrac Guaiba: 1700 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 4

"What can you do with a pathetically small Monster like that, Alvarez?" Corvx questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh, I'm gonna do plenty! _Battle_!"

"W-wait! Alvarez, are you stupid?" Alice looked at the boy incredulously.

"No, I'm just me! Jurrac Guaiba! Go, attack **Darklord Asmodeus**!" Johnny commanded as the vicious dinosaur heeded its master's command, running towards the obviously larger Fallen Angel with a loud roar as the fallen angel began to raise it's fist.

"Alvarez, you fool, it appears the wounds have gotten to your thinking capacity. Now perish!" Corvx said loudly as he pointed at his Fallen Angel.

"Sorry, but it looks like your Asmodeus over there's the one doing all the perishing!" Johnny said with a wide grin as Darklord Asmodeus suddenly grunted with pain, and the dinosaur leaped above the angel's head. "GO FOR IT, JURRAC GUAIBA!" Johnny cheered as the dinosaur tore through the fallen angel with a single bite, and its flames completely surrounded the angel's body!

"T-tch... what the...?" Corvx watched as his Monster was being defeated by battle almost out of nowhere!

Darklord Asmodeus: 1500 Attack / 2800 Defense

"How the hell did he go down to 1500 Attack?" Corvx's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Yeah, while you were all so busy thinking that my Jurrac Guaiba was gonna lose that battle..." Johnny revealed a card in his hand. "I activated Shrink, just during the Damage Step!"

"D-Damage Step!" Corvx's eyes widened.

"Damage Step... brilliant, Alvarez! That's the point where only Attack/Defense-altering cards can be activated!" Alice said with what almost sounded like excitement in her voice.

"He activated it during the Damage Step! Tch... what a smart kid..." Regis said with mutter before grinning. "Ah well, he knows that if he tries to use Guaiba's effect, he'll let himself get screwed over..."

"And now, for Shrink's Effect. When activated, I select a Monster on the field and halve it's attack score! Jurrac Guaiba? Weaker than that guy? HA!" Johnny grinned. Jurrac Guaiba roared as it's enemy shattered to pieces, leaving small embers to tickle at Corvx's body.

Corvx: 3800

"Now then, Corvx, when my Jurrac Guaiba destroys a Monster by battle… I can activate his effect in order to Special Summon another friend of his from my deck!" Johnny commanded, expecting Regis' response.

"My Vairon Omega's Monster Effect now activates! When a Monster Effect activates, I can ditch an Equip card attached to him in order to negate and destroy your precious Monster!" Regis instructed as the large machine sprouted the spear-shaped Vairon Stella. "Your monster will now perish, Johnny Alvarez!" Regis laughed as the spear shot out towards Jurrac Guaiba, piercing the dinosaur as it roared in pain.

"Sorry, Guaiba…" Johnny muttered under his breath as a red static appeared around the dinosaur's body, and it shattered into digital shards.

"Next, my Darklord Asmodeus' Monster Effect activates! When he's been destroyed, I can Special Summon two special little tokens!" Corvx instructed as two arms rose from the ground, appearing to look like Asmodeus' arms before it vanished from Guaiba's attack.

"I know about this…" Johnny muttered, watching carefully before looking at Alice. _No matter what she says… I have to keep her safe…!_

"First, I Special Summon an **Asmo Token**!" the arm morphed into a miniature version of the dark angel that originally stood before Johnny, crossing it's arms.

Asmo Token: 1800 Attack / 1300 Defense | Level 5

"And now… **Deus Token**, arise!" another miniature version of Darklord Asmodeus appeared on the field, this time in Defense Position rather than Attack Position.

Deus Token: 1200 Defense / 1200 Defense | Level 3

"Thanks to that, you ain't got an equip on your Monster!" Johnny said with a wide grin, pointing at the machine that was now rendered without a single weapon attached to it.

"Doesn't matter, kid, I can equip as much as I want to Vairon Omega each turn!" Regis said with a smirk across his face.

"I'll activate Jurrac Aeolo's Monster Effect! By releasing this little guy, I can evolve him into a better Species of my choice! Be revived, Jurrac Velo!" Johnny commanded as the miniature dinosaur's body exerted tiny flames, and it began to transform into a taller dinosaur, now taking on the form of a green-bodied raptor with a blue head and a long tail.

Jurrac Velo: 1700 Attack / 1200 Defense | Level 4

"I'll set one card face-down, and I'll end my turn there! Come on, let's see what'cha got!" Johnny pointed at Regis.

_Turn 7_

"Keep tempting fate, kid, it's gonna make me a little less merciless on you. I'll activate Vairon Omega's effect!" Regis pointed at the large machine as it echoed with loud, reverberating beeps. "Once per turn, I can fish up a single 'Vairon' Monster in the graveyard and equip it to him!" Regis commanded as Vairon Cube arose from the graveyard with a beep, re-attaching itself to Vairon Omega's body in the form of a gatling gun! "However, that won't be staying there for too long, because I Normal Summon my Vairon Hapto!" another machine appeared on the field with loud beeps as it began to shine brightly with a heavenly radiance.

Vairon Hapto: 1800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 4

"Next, I activate the effect of my Vairon Hapto! Once per turn, I take a Vairon Monster that's equipped to another Monster, and Special Summon it right onto the Field!" the gatling gun shifted away from Vairon Omega, returning to it's original form as a shining mechanical cube.

Vairon Cube: 800 Attack / 800 Defense | Level 3 | Tuner

"Now then… it's over! I'll tune the Level 4 Vairon Hapto to the Level 3 Vairon Cube" Regis commanded as three rings of white surrounded four orbs of light. "_Reigning from the heavens above, answer your master's call now! Eliminate the enemies of the light, eliminate those who dare oppose the god above!_" he chanted as the light began to explode all around them, and the shrine surrounding them echoed with the voices of a thousand angels.

"What the?" Johnny looked around, trying to find the source of the noise.

"I'm not liking the looks of this too much…" Alice commented, looking around. I_'m wide open in my current conditions… My face-down card can easily stop one of them, but I'll still be taking damage this turn… I have enough to live this turn through though…_

"Synchro Summon!" the light burst, revealing a large machine that beeped mightily, reaching an arm out towards the enemy with a grunt. "Descend, **Vairon Delta**!" the man commanded as the machine began to glow with a radiant light as well.

Vairon Delta: 2800 Defense/ 1700 Attack | Level 7

"Sorry, but I got a trap for ya!" Johnny clicked the button to reveal his face-down card. "I'll activate **Hunting Instinct**! When you Special Summon a Monster, I can Special Summon a Dinosaur from my hand!" Johnny revealed his Jurrac Stauriko. "I'll Special Summon this little guy onto the field! Come on out, **Jurrac Stauriko**!" Johnny commanded as he slammed the card onto his Duel Disk, and the holograms projected a miniature dinosaur in defense mode.

Jurrac Stauriko: 500 Attack / 400 Defense | Level 2

"Next, I'll equip Vairon Filament to my Vairon Omega! Now, with him equipped by this card, whenever he attacks, you cannot activate Spells/Traps in response to the battle!" Regis said with a wide grin across his face.

"W-what!" Johnny's eyes widened in fear of what he said.

"Finally, I'll use my **Heaven's Path** spell card. While I control only 2 Fairy-type Monsters, all players are permitted to draw 2 cards" Regis said carefully as both he and Corvx swiped the top two cards of their decks and added it to their hands.

Both Johnny and Alice did the same, and Johnny stared at the newly added card in his hand.

"Is it something good?" Alice whispered to Johnny.

"Kinda... but I wish I drew it on my turn rather than the opponent's turn, just to be honest..." Johnny sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Battle! Vairon Omega attacks that pathetic Jurrac Velo!" the large, black-winged machine began to ascend into the sky as it pointed a single hand at the flaming dinosaur without a single regret. The machine beeped and a light began to shine in it's hand, and a large laser of light shot forth at the dinosaur.

"Gotta stand my ground…!"

"Why're you attacking only Johnny! I'm still here!" Alice shouted at the enemy, as if trying to divert the attack.

"Alice, don't…" Johnny shook his head at her.

"But… if you take this damage, you'll also feel the pain! Wouldn't it be easier if I took the damage too!" Alice argued.

"It'd be easier, yes, but… I don't want you to be hurt, that's just it" Johnny responded with a smile before the laser shot through Velo, causing the dinosaur to scream loudly.

"Y-you idiot!" Alice shouted, turning a little red.

"Wah!" Johnny leaped out of the way to avoid the laser, however it slipped past his arm lightly, and he grunted with pain. "Tch… that stuff burns!" he exclaimed, looking at his arm as he noticed a slight burn on it. _Phew, 'least it didn't get chopped off… _Johnny then looked at Regis, who was just grinning like a wild animal.

"I'll assume that hurt, right, Johnny boy?" Regis asked with the grin still on his face, his eyes showing how much he was enjoying the pain Johnny was being put through. "Don't worry, little Alice Mizore… you'll feel the same pain when we're done punishing your little boyfriend here…"

"HE'S NOT MY BOYFRIEND!" Alice shouted in retort.

Johnny: 900

"I'll activate Jurrac Velo's Monster Effect! When he's been successfully destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Jurrac with 1700 or Less attack from my deck! I'll bring out my… **Jurrac Gallim**!" Johnny commanded as a tiny dinosaur appeared on the field, in defense position, alongside the Jurrac Stauriko.

Jurrac Gallim: 1200 Attack / 0 Defense | Level 2 | Tuner

"And now, I'll end the Ba-" Regis said before Johnny clicked a button on his Duel Disk.

"Trap Card open, **Fossil Excavation**! With this card's effect, I ditch a single card in my hand in order to Special Summon a Dinosaur from the graveyard! However, the effects of the Dinosaur are negated… be revived… Jurrac Herra!" flames encircled the field as a large dinosaur appeared on the field with large cannons on it's shoulder.

Jurrac Herra: 2300 Attack / 1500 Defense | Level 6

"How did that thing ever reach the graveyard?" Regis questioned with a surprised expression on his face.

"Remember, I had to ditch a card… so he became a valid target the minute I ditched him!" Johnny said with a wide grin as he clicked the last button on his Duel Disk. "And now, Trap Card… _**open**_!" Johnny shouted as yet another Trap Card flipped open on his side of the Field.

"What could you be trying to do?" Corvx questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"**Urgent Tuning**! With this card's power… I'll Tune during the Battle Phase in order to replace my Monsters with something wayyy better!" Johnny clenched his fist as his Signer Mark began to glow with a fierce light. "This is… the only way I'll be able to fend you guys off!" Johnny shouted as he pointed his palm at the three dinosaurs on his field. "I'll Tune the Level 2 Jurrac Stauriko, Level 6 Jurrac Herra and Level 2 Jurrac Gallim!" two rings suddenly surrounded eight orbs of light.

"W-what? A level 10 Synchro Monster?" Corvx responded.

"What stupidity are you trying to pull here?" Regis questioned with an eyebrow raised.

"Johnny, what're you doing…!" Alice raised an eyebrow, unsure of what Johnny was going to perform in this turn.

"_Falling from the heavens like a shooting star! Flames of victory strike the earth and purify the land of your fallen brethren!_" Johnny chanted as the light reverted into ten orbs of flame, shooting upwards and into the sky!

"How pretentious, the Synchro Summon you're trying to perform isn't even willing to show it's form to us. Are you quite finished, Johnny Alvarez?" Regis asked as he began to place a hand on a single card in his hand.

"Not just yet! Synchro Summon!" Johnny commanded as his Wings of the Crimson Dragon mark shone brightly and the sky turned into a sudden crimson.

"What the?" Regis looked up as something in the distance could be seen in the sky.

"Rain, **Jurrac Meteor**! When Jurrac Meteor is Synchro Summoned… he annihilates the entire field!" Johnny instructed as he made a mad dash towards Alice, throwing his arms around her as if to protect her from something.

"A-Alvarez! Release me at once!" the girl protested, turning several shades of red out of pure embarrassment.

"What are you…" a large, crystallized rock could clearly be seen descending upon the field, falling rapidly as flames surrounded it's entire body!

Jurrac Meteor: 2800 Attack / 2000 Defense | Level 10

"Oh damn!" Regis took cover.

"Tch, so this is what Johnny Alvarez had to resort to!" Corvx's eyes shot open before taking cover as well. The crystallized rock landed onto the ground, shattering as multiple flames shot about, and Vairon Omega and Vairon Delta screeched in pain along with the Deus Token on Corvx's field. All the facedowns on both players' fields slowly lifted and then shattered to pieces, along with Alice's face-up Water Hazard.

"Ahhhh!" Johnny shouted as the flames lashed at his back, and several of the shattered rocks smacked into his spine. _T-tch… this is what real damage from a meteor feels like…! _he began to pant heavily as the pain shocked his entire body. Slowly, the flames began to die down, leaving behind nothing in its wake.

"Tch…" Regis said getting back up unscathed from the explosion.

"He wiped our fields clean…" Corvx muttered as a note, observing the currently empty field, but he noticed that a single ember burned.

"A-Alvarez…" Alice whispered.

"I'm… fine…" Johnny said with a strained grin on his face as he moved away from the girl, turning around and pointing at the ember on the field. "The last part of Jurrac Meteor's effect… when he successfully destroys the field… I can revive a Tuner Monster in the graveyard… come back… **Jurrac Gallim**!" the boy said with a pained grunt as the flame transformed into a single Dinosaur in defense position.

Jurrac Gallim: 0 Defense | 1200 Attack | Level 2 | Tuner

"U-ugh… I'm… tired…" Johnny said taking a step towards where he originally stood before looking at Alice. "You can handle this… right…?" Johnny said before falling forward.

"Alvarez!" Alice shook the boy, trying to wake him up. "A-Alvarez! Wake up! Wake up!"

"Too bad… it seems as if he couldn't take any more pain from just protecting your weak self…" Regis said with a large grin across his face.

"Now that he's unconscious, he is rendered without a turn, and will lose 200 Life Points per each turn of his that he cannot perform" Corvx explained.

"What! That was never agreed upon!" Alice shouted.

"Too bad, little girl, you're facing us" Regis said with that grin on his face.

_This is bad… if I can't get Alvarez to wake up… he might end up actually…_ Alice looked at Regis and Corvx. The girl was now rendered alone against two beings that were beyond mere human comprehension. _Can I really fight back...?_ the girl began to doubt herself a little bit before looking at the top card of her deck, beginning to pull it. _If I quit, would Alvarez be spared? If I were to surrender... would we survive? My brains are telling me to do it, but my heart's telling me to keep this Duel going for Johnny's sake..._

"It's your move little girl, make it" Regis said with a chuckle.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's, etc.

Author's Note: I'm not feeling inspired lately, so you'll notice some brief delays between each chapter, again. I apologize.


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